Hello Courage Country! Coming atcha a day late on a busy week!
We’ve seen some of the best teams in the NWSL struggle so far this season, and for a moment, it seemed like the Courage might sneak up the table.
Alas, the Courage are not immune to the topsy-turvy NWSL, and Bay FC came in with a dominant first half performance to beat the Courage 3-1 at home.
As I mention on this week’s podcast (out now!), a single early-season loss matters less than how players and coaches adjust and respond. We’ll stand to learn a lot more from the Portland match, so we’ll see how that plays out.
Speaking of that match, Katie and I made a guest appearance on The Rose City Breakdown to discuss how both teams compare. We had a great time, so please give it a listen!
As a reminder, there’s a two-week international break after the Portland match. We’ll take some time to rest then, too, but we’ll be back to recap the game and preview the Houston Dash toward the end of the month.
Recap: Courage v. Bay FC
In a word, the first half of this game was rough. The Courage officially came out with a five back formation, but mostly it functioned more like a 3-4-3, with Ryan Williams on the right side as usual, and Sydney Schmidt earning her first start on the left. Centerback Maycee Bell was asked to carry a lot for defense on the left side, especially with Natalie Jacobs out after a pair of knocks in last week’s matchup.
Given this setup, Bay tested the Courage’s left side early and often, finding plenty of opportunities. That attack also pulled the Courage midfield over, leaving plenty of holes to work through. You can see both issues in the graphic at the link below. 62% of passes from deep down field came from Bay’s right, and passes into the final third were spread pretty evenly throughout the midfield.
The Courage made significant adjustments throughout the match, including subbing in Manaka Matsukubo, recently returned from the AFC Women’s Asia Cup, who scored the lone goal on her first appearance back with the team. Williams kicked a terrific cross in from near the goal line for the assist.
Finally, Ally Schlegel made her first debut for the Courage, looking right at home and winning three of three aerial duels.
Look ahead: Courage v. Portland Thorns
In some ways, Portland will prove a similar test for the Courage. Like Bay, Portland has three forwards that interact well, and can create a lot of great links on the attack. So far this season, we’ve seen that from Olivia Moultrie, Pietra Tordin and Reilyn Turner, who plays a winger position with strong attacking skills. Moultrie and Tordin essentially work together, splitting goals and assists. Sophia Wilson is also seeing more playing time as she returns from maternity leave.
The Courage are excellent at containing a star striker (Emma Sears and Esther González have already been dealt with this season), but often struggle with a multi-player attack.
The Courage will need a stacked midfield to fend off the Thorns’ attack, as well as to overwhelm the box and create some opportunities of their own on offense.
Courage news and updates
- With the upcoming international break, a robust list of players have been called up:
- Riley Jackson (US U23)
- Manaka Matsukubo (Japan)
- Evelyn Ijeh (Sweden)
- Lauryn Thompson (England)
- Kailen Sheridan and Carly Wickenheiser (Canada)
Around the league and beyond
- Easily the biggest news of the week is San Diego Wave signing star USWNT forward Catarina Macario.
- Also, I linked to this last week, but we refer to it again on this week’s pod, so ICYMI, here’s Tamerra Griffin’s piece at The Athletic on the disproportionate number of red cards early this season.
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, April 4, 6:30 pm ET
North Carolina Courage v. Portland Thorns
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