LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Ladies in Lavender won't be on the pitch at Lynn Family Stadium Friday night.

The National Women's Soccer League called off all games scheduled this weekend as it deals with the fallout from allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct against a former coach.

Racing Louisville FC was scheduled to host NJ/NY Gotham FC at 7:30 p.m., but the club announced it would be postponed with a reschedule date TBD.

North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley was fired by the team following a report in The Athletic that detailed the alleged misconduct, which included claims by two former players of sexual coercion.

In a statement, Racing Louisville owner Brad Estes said the club commends the "bravery of those who have shared their stories to help eradicate reprehensible behavior in the league."

"We joined the NWSL, in part, to empower women in our community. We also see the necessity to raise standards within women’s professional soccer," Estes said. "It’s going to take real work and humility to effect the change these athletes deserve. Now more than ever, we are committed to this effort, and we fully support our players."

The NWSL did not specify Friday whether the games were canceled or postponed. In a statement, Commissioner Lisa Baird said the decision was made with the NWSL players’ association.

“This week, and much of this season, has been incredibly traumatic for our players and staff, and I take full responsibility for the role I have played. I am so sorry for the pain so many are feeling,” said Baird, who came to the NWSL in early 2020. “Recognizing that trauma, we have decided not to take the field this weekend to give everyone some space to reflect. Business as usual isn’t our concern right now. Our entire league has a great deal of healing to do, and our players deserve so much better.”

U.S. Soccer suspended Riley’s coaching license following The Athletic’s report, in which former NWSL players Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim recounted their experiences with Riley.

The alleged harassment of Farrelly started in 2011 when she was a player with the Philadelphia Independence of the now-defunct Women’s Professional Soccer league.

The NWSL Players’ Association said Friday that it requested that this weekend’s games be postponed. The union said it hoped fans would understand and support the decision.

“It is OK to take space to process, to feel and to take care of yourself,” the union said. “In fact, it’s more than OK, it’s a priority. That, as players, will be our focus this weekend.”

The union has also called for an independent investigation of the allegations leveled at Riley. The union demanded the suspension of any league or club staff who have been accused of violating the league’s antiharassment policy or of failing to report misconduct, no matter when it occurred.

The union demanded to know how Riley was hired by another club after allegations of misconduct surfaced while he was with the Thorns.

The league did not immediately respond to those demands. The union is currently negotiating its first contract with the league.

In its ninth season, the NWSL has been rocked by several recent scandals involving team officials. Racing Louisville coach Christy Holly was fired in September but the reasons for his dismissal were not made public.

Racing Louisville's star midfielder Nadia Nadim, currently recovering from an ACL injury, took to Twitter to air her grievances against the league, calling the NWSL a "joke."

In her Twitter thread, Nadim said the NWSL pressured her to have ACL surgery in the U.S., even though she lives in Denmark.

An Afghan refugee and Denmark's Player of the Year in 2016 and 2017, Nadim also expressed pride in her Louisville teammates.

"I'm also very proud to be a part of Racing Louisville. With the right people at the right spots... we will obviously need time, but we will be leading by example in the future," she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.