After Wednesday night's humiliation in Kansas City—a 5-1 evisceration that exposed every flaw in Racing Louisville's DNA—the team had one chance to salvage a week that had started with hope and ended with devastation. Saturday at Lynn Family Stadium against Chicago Stars FC, Racing got exactly what it needed: a win. Rookie Mirann Gacioch and Kayla Fischer each struck in the second half to lift Racing Louisville FC to a 2-1 victory over the Stars on Saturday afternoon. It wasn't pretty. It required a late goal conceded—Chicago's Nádia Gomes pulled one back late on—before Racing could finally close out a match at home. But the three points were never in doubt in the final minutes, and Racing got what they desperately needed. The Week That Could Have Broken Them Three games in seven days. Los Angeles. Kansas City. Home. That's the schedule Racing endured. They won one (Angel City). They lost one catastrophically (Kansas City). And on Saturday, they needed to not let the other completely define the week. The result was Racing's second win in its last three matches, moving it up past the Stars and into 15th place in the NWSL table. This matters. Not because 15th is something to celebrate—they're still second-to-last in a 16-team league. But because last place, after everything that's happened this season, carries a different weight. It's the symbol of complete collapse. Moving out of it, even by one spot, is the smallest possible acknowledgment that this team hasn't completely disintegrated. It was also Louisville's third home win of the season — each one featuring multiple goals from the hosts. Racing only wins when they score more than once at Lynn Family Stadium. That's not exactly an encouraging pattern, but at least they have a pattern that works. The Climb From the Abyss A week ago, Racing looked dead. Five straight losses. Three straight games without a goal. A crisis that felt terminal. Then came the Angel City win. A draw with Houston. And even through the Kansas City demolition, there was this week: six points from a possible nine across three matches. Not playoff hockey, but enough to suggest this team hasn't completely given up. Head coach Bev Yanez said getting "six points out of a potential nine points with three games in seven days" was "a huge deal for us." She's right. Given where Racing was a week ago, salvaging this week with a 2-1 record—even with a 5-1 loss sandwiched in the middle—is something. It's not redemption. It's not a turnaround. But it's proof that Racing can still find moments where things work. And they did it at home, which matters. Lynn Family Stadium has been Racing's one consistent advantage all season. At least there, they've been able to create spaces, score goals, and hold on. The Jury Remains Out Racing is now 4-11-2 with 14 points. Chicago is 4-12-0 with 12 points. The difference between them is minimal, and Racing didn't suddenly become a good team because they beat a team that is now below them in the standings. They also nearly lost the lead twice in the final 20 minutes. They conceded a goal late again. They required Chicago to miss opportunities to close out the win. These are the same patterns that have defined their season—occasional offensive output, fragile defense, constant late-game nervousness. But they got three points. They moved off the bottom. Louisville's next four games come against teams currently outside the playoff picture, giving it an opportunity to make up some ground. That's a softer stretch. That's an opportunity. Whether Racing can actually capitalize on it is a different question entirely. For now, though, they got the escape they needed. They survived the week. And they're no longer in last place. That's not enough to build a season on. But right now, in early August, after everything this team has endured, it's not nothing either.