The NWSL coaching carousel continues, as Racing Louisville has parted ways with head coach Kim Björkegren.
The club announced Björkegren’s departure Friday, calling it a mutual decision. The 41-year-old from Sweden “will return home to Europe to pursue other opportunities,” per Racing Louisville.
Björkegren joined the club in December 2021. His contract was set to expire this year, with an option to extend. According to The Athletic, Björkegren decided to depart the team and informed the club before his contract option could be discussed.
“I want to say thank you for two great years,” he said in the team news release. “It has been a lot of hard work, but I’m now happy to leave the club in a better position from when I came to Louisville. … After many years abroad, it’s now time to go back home to Sweden with my family.”
Before coming to the NWSL with Racing, the Swedish manager coached in China, Cyprus and Sweden.
The 2023 season saw Louisville missed out on the playoffs for a third consecutive season. Racing finished ninth in the 12-team league, similar to its first two years in the NWSL. They also lost three of their final four games, which hurt their playoff chances.
In its first three years as a franchise, Louisville has had two head coaches and one interim head coach. The club’s first head coach, Christy Holly, was fired for cause in August 2021 for allegedly sexually assaulting and harassing a player. Holly later was permanently banned from the NWSL following a league-wide misconduct investigation.