Plus: NWSL applies for a D2 league that includes the Courage!
The Courage won their first match of the season, and they did it with such style and flair it stunned fans across the league. It wasn’t just that the team lit up in the second half and reversed a relatively stagnant season; it wasn’t just that the bottom-of-the-table Courage went toe-to-toe in a high scoring match with undefeated, top-of-the-table Kansas City; it was also that the team showed up with a new formation and put in such an all-inclusive effort that two defenders scored. They earned a win only the Courage could have pulled off, and the wave of collective catharsis rippled throughout every corner of NWSL fandom.
There’s plenty to break down, so I’ll jump right in.
Recap: v. Kansas City Current
Kansas City had a couple of surprising shifts; they benched Debinha for the first half in order to sub her in the second half and give Temwa Chawinga a rest. To cover for this, Vanessa DiBernardo slid to center midfield in the 10 role, and Claire Hutton came in on the left for the double pivot with Lo’eau Labonta.
The Courage had perhaps the most surprising starting XI of the season, despite changing the lineup week over week. Even with forwards Tyler Lussi, Hannah Betfort, Cortnee Vine and Meredith Speck available, the Courage opted for an unusual 3-4-3 formation, with Natalia Staude joining Kaleigh Kurtz and Maycee Bell on defense. This gave more rein to Feli Rauch and Ryan Williams to float forward as wingbacks. They’d been alternating playing high all season, but this setup meant an extra defender was available in a quick turnover.
Additionally, it put Jaedyn Shaw and Ashley Sanchez more central together. You can see it right away. Here’s seven seconds into the match, with Sanchez continuing to drift toward center:screenshot with more central formation of Shaw and Sanchez
In the first twenty or so minutes, both teams were hesitant, feeling one another out. The Courage looked calm and confident, but Williams and Rauch tended to hang back without pressing forward much. In turn, Kansas City adopted a strategy other teams in the league have done, which is to sit back and allow the defense to pass the ball around and try to disrupt any effort to advance through the midfield. While there were a couple of good looks from either squad, the first part of the game was largely unveventful.
About 20 minutes in, Kansas City switched tactics and started pressing more aggressively. The Courage didn’t get rattled, and started shifting their own stance a little more forward. Toward the end of the first half, the Current took advantage of this. Elizabeth Ball booted a massive pass that cleared all three Courage lines, creating space for former Courage forward Haley Hopkins and Chawinga to work the ball back and forth to the goal, with Hopkins eventually scoring on a fortunate bounce off the near post. The Current had tried a few long balls to Chawinga, and this one finally worked.
The second half became a stunner of a match, with both sides showing terrific form. At the 53’ minute mark, Manaka Matsukubo had a perfect pass to Williams, who made an elegant shot to the front left corner for an equalizer. It was her first NWSL goal, and we got a fun celly with Kurtz:
Five minutes later, Hutton had some incredible footwork and hit a quick pass to Bea, who scored to put the Current in the lead again. This was another improbable goal for the season, sailing over keeper Casey Murphy’s head into the net.
The Courage had what I can only describe as “Courage luck” later, with a phenomenal shot on target from Sanchez. Somehow, Current keeper Lorena managed to block it, having just blocked a shot seconds before.
Kansas City was subbing early and often, starting with Debinha at half time and multiple players joining in short order.
The Courage followed their standard protocol of subbing closer to the end of the match, with Lussi, Shinomi Koyama, Hannah Betfort and Brianna Pinto all joining after the 74 minute mark (Pinto was a couple of minutes after the others). The subs came in with a fury. Betfort did her usual work creating chaos among defenders. The Courage struggled a bit to get the ball to the left side for Lussi, but when they did, she made the most of her time, drawing defenders and grabbing a couple of good looks. She technically came in for Rauch, but played very far forward most of the remainder of the match, tracking back when she needed to.
At the end of regular time, following a short corner, the Courage worked the ball into the box. Sanchez got a great mini cross in, and Kurtz put the ball away.
It was an exciting equalizer, but the Courage weren’t done. Kansas City looked a bit deflated at this point, and the Courage managed to turn up the pressure a bit more. Just a couple minutes later, Denise O’Sullivan fought her way solo through the midfield, connecting deep with Williams. Williams tapped it to Sanchez, who scored for the win.
Final thoughts:
- Midfielders O’Sullivan and Riley Jackson were exceptional in this match, with Sully having a number of incredible moves. Podcast guest this week Aaron Rogoff points out their passing percentage (72/73%) was actually down from the norm, but notes that it speaks more to the risks they were taking and still making some solid connections.
- Not all of the standing problems evaporated in one match. There were still some sloppy passes to nobody in the final third; and it’s easy to point out two of the three goals came from defenders. On the other hand, that feels like nitpicking in a week where the Courage convincingly toppled Kansas City. I bring it up because the team will need to keep after those issues to climb the table.
- It wouldn’t be the NWSL without some questionable ref calls.
- I don’t know if there’s anything better in sports than watching two teams in great form competing, as we got in the second half of this match.
Standout stats
Stats from Fotmob, Chris Henderson and the NC Courage
Look ahead: Courage v. Utah Royals
Utah’s struggles continue this season, as they sit 13th on the table and lost last week to the Houston Dash. Still, they can mount serious threats, especially on offense with forward Ally Sentnor and Aisha Solórzona. Former Courage forward Bianca St-Georges went to Utah in the offseason, though she was out last week with a thigh injury, along with Mina Tanaka who had an upper leg injury.
They’ve been playing around with their front lineup, in part due to injury. In addition, former Gotham player Cece Kizer joined the squad just a couple weeks ago, adding another weapon to Utah’s attack. Keeper Mandy McGlynn has had several recent call ups to the USWNT.
Utah typically plays in a 4-2-3-1 with Solórzona up top. They play a very aggressive style, leading the league in fouls this season and are second in yellow cards. Generally, the Courage have looked flustered against more aggressive squads, so an away match in the Royals’ territory will be a challenge.
Utah also isn’t afraid to take long shots, leading the league in shots at distance from goal. Sentnor is especially a threat at distance, so the Courage will have to be wary of positioning.
Courage news and updates
- The biggest news for the Courage this week came from the club, who announced Lauren and Jrue Holiday will take an expanded role in the team’s ownership group. Additionally, Lauren will “also serve as an advisor and ambassador with the club, impacting on-field, business, community, and player initiative decisions.”
- Courage did a nice profile on Sully and her exceptional season so far.
- Sam Mewis’ Friendlies podcast interviewed Meredith Speck, check it out below!
Around the league and beyond
- MAJOR news from CBS this week. The NWSL has filed an application to launch a Division 2 league. Pardeep Cattry did a great job covering this story, and I highly recommend breezing through what could have been a dense mess of an article. The Courage will be a part of an initial group of eight teams fielding a squad.
- The Athletic had a nice article about improved fertility treatment options for NWSL players. With the light trigger warning that this does get into fertility struggles, the article lifts up several players’ stories and is well worth a read; note that a subscription is required.
That’s it for this week! As always, you can get in touch with tips, suggestions, corrections and more: contact@lionspitch.com.
Next match: Saturday, May 3, 10:00 pm ET
North Carolina Courage v. Utah Royals
Away
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