Plus updates from international play
Hello Courage Country!
Hot off a road win against Houston, the Courage continue on to Boston this evening, an expansion side still looking for their first win.
The team returns home on Saturday to play the Kansas City current at the end of a long 3-game week.
We break everything down below – enjoy a week chalk full of great NWSL soccer!
Recap: Courage v. Houston Dash
The Courage had an excellent match against the Houston Dash, coached by their former assistant, Fabrice Gautrat.
In the starting XI, Shinomi Koyama slotted in where Carly Wickenheiser usually is, and Dani Weatherholt continued to play left back. Evelyn Ijeh played at forward, alongside Payton Crawford (formerly Payton Linnehan, recently married!).
After early back-and-forth play, the Courage led a commanding first half performance, earning 54% possession against a team that … also values possession. The half was capped by a beautiful goal. Manaka Matsukubo hit a high, drifting kick, nearly behind her, to Ashley Sanchez, who scored the lone goal of the match.
Houston had a few key chances, including a solid run from Kiki Van Zanten around 19’, forcing a strategic tackle from Uno Shiragaki, who received a yellow card.
Houston made smart adjustments in the second half, and began earning control of the match. It forced a rapid substitution from the Courage, just two minutes after strategically pulling Sanchez to rest for the remaining games this week.
Forward Ally Schlegel, subbing in for Crawford, lost control of the ball around 77’. She attempted to kick it out of the way of Houston midfielder Danielle Colaprico. She ended up connecting with Colaprico, and was issued a red card.
There was extended stoppage time at the end of the match, around 14 minutes, which meant the Courage ground out a win despite being down a player for nearly 25 minutes.
Head Coach Mak Lind said in the postgame press conference, “We won the game by heart, and great teams can do that, especially when you’re one man down.”
The Courage ended the match with three points on the table, and momentum heading into the match against Boston.
Underrated play
Katie notes in this week’s podcast, out tomorrow, that a few minutes before Sanchez’ goal, the team had tried a similar run of play and nearly scored. The second attempt worked, highlighting a nice connection between Manaka and Sanchez.
Standout stats
We do a deep dive on this week’s podcast but here are a few:
- Ashley Sanchez is currently tied for second in the league with four goals, one behind Barbra Banda.
- Uno had 6 tackles, resulting in 5 takeaways. Dani Weatherholt had 5 tackles resulting in 4 takeaways. This precision is an improvement for the Courage.
- The Courage gave up 9 corners while Houston only gave up 2, something for the team to continue to watch out for. Set piece defending is improving slightly, but still a risky proposition for the Courage.
Look ahead: Courage v. Boston Legacy
Boston has only scored 1 goal this entire season, from Aissata Traoré, and has lost all 5 of their matches so far. Starting formations have ranged all over the place as they struggle to find something that works.
In some ways, this may make Boston a dangerous opponent, as they’ll have something to prove on their home field. But if the Courage continue their trajectory, there’s a good possibility they earn another three points and continue moving up the table.
Two former Courage players, keeper Casey Murphy and Bianca St-Georges, anchor Boston’s defense. Traoré and team captain Nichelle Prince pose dual forward threats.
Look ahead: Courage v. Kansas City Current
If you’ve tracked one thing beyond the Courage this season, it’s likely the struggles of Kansas City, now 2-0-4, sitting 14th on the table.
In 2025, the team ran away with the shield, out of reach of any other squad by the final third of the season. In the offseason, head coach Vlatko Andonovski moved into a sporting director role, and former Colorado Rapids head coach Chris Armas was tapped.
The team retained the majority of their talent, aside from a strange trade in which midfielder Claire Hutton went to Bay FC, and Kansas City acquired Croix Bethune from the Washington Spirit.
The surprising slow start has left most people scratching their heads. It’s hard to know what we’ll see on Saturday. Kansas City might step up and be a tough opponent for the Courage, especially after a mid-week match. On the other hand, if the Current’s communication and midfield struggles continue, the Courage have the chance for a 9-point week.
For Kansas City, Lorena has been in goal, currently ranking worst in the league with 13 goals allowed and no clean sheets. Midfielders Bethune and Lo’eau LaBonta are stars in their own right, and can be scoring threats if the team pulls together. Further up the pitch, Debinha, Temwa Chawinga, Michelle Cooper and Ally Sentnor are a formidable attacking force.
Multiple threats sometimes overwhelm the Courage, who prefer to get their midfielders and defenders involved in the attack, leaving space for a quick transition. Katie thinks if there’s a trap game this week, it’s this one.
Courage news and updates
- Courage defender Cameron Brooks is nominated for the Lauren Holiday Impact Award for 2026, which honors players with significant contributions off the pitch.
- Update on international play:
- The senior USWNT bested Japan (alas, Manaka) in two of their three matches, a major test ahead of the 2027 women’s World Cup.
- Riley Jackson captained the U23 USWNT to victory in the WU23 friendlies with a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over France. Prior to that, they had a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands, and a 1-1 draw with Denmark. In that match, Duke’s Kat Rader scored the equalizer, and the U23 team won in penalty kicks to progress to the match against France.
- Sweden (Ijeh) lost to Denmark 2-1 in the World Cup qualifiers, and beat Serbia 1-0. The team will have a rematch with Denmark in June, as well as a match against Italy.
- CANWNT (Wickenheiser, Kailen Sheridan) played in FIFA Series 2026, beating South Korea 3-1 and Zambia 4-0, but losing in the final to Brazil 1-0.
- England U19 (Thompson) beat Latvia 5-0, but lost to Wales 3-2, and then to Switzerland 2-0, so didn’t qualify for their championship match.
- Sam Mewis, USWNT superstar and former Courage player, hosted another former Courage player, Meredith Speck, on Good Vibes FC this week, breaking down the USWNT / Japan matchup. Mewis is always a fun listen, so check it out!
- Katie appeared on The Swan Dive podcast to preview Boston’s matchup with the Courage!
Around the league and beyond
- NWSL announced Columbus, OH will join the league in 2028, alongside Atlanta, for the next round of expansion. The team will play in the same stadium as the Crew. This concludes the publicly-known expansion plans to date, though commissioner Jessica Berman has hinted at more, and will bring the league to 18 teams. Atlanta and Columbus are good additions from a Courage point of view, as it makes travel a little easier on the team.
- The NWSL was expected to vote on shifting to a new calendar more aligned with Europe’s schedule, but CBS’ Pardeep Cattry reports the board of governor’s will not vote on the move this week, effectively preserving the current calendar for now.
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 2, 6:30 pm ET
North Carolina Courage v. Kansas City Current
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