Plus: Jackson, Bell extend contracts; and Bay FC hires new head coach Emma Coates
Hello Courage Country!
We are bursting with news for the final 2025 newsletter. We’ll continue to hit your inbox if big news breaks (head coach announcement incoming?); but otherwise things will be a little quiet here as we rest and prepare for the 2026 NWSL season, whatever beautiful chaos it may bring.
We’ve had a lot of growth and positive feedback this year, so thank you all for that!
Let’s get into Courage news!
Katie had to revive me with smelling salts as I lay prone on my fainting couch because the Courage signed not one, not two, but THREE outstanding forwards. Ally Schlegel was signed as a free agent, departing the Chicago Stars. And the team scooped up Lauryn Thompson, previously committed to Florida State. Today, the team announced signing Nigerian National Team forward Chioma Okafor, who also had multiple great seasons with the University of Connecticut. All three should be excellent additions, and potentially answer one of our top concerns from the 2025 season. More on that below.
This left a second keeper as the team’s most desperately-needed signing, someone to join Marisa Jordan on the roster. The Courage answered that need yesterday, announcing they’d signed Madi White, a free agent departing Racing Louisville (and by loan, Dallas Trinity), through 2028.
Let’s break down each acquisition.
Forwards
There’s no doubt that Manaka Matsukubo went off in the 2025 season, eventually earning NWSL Midfielder of the Year. She scored 11 goals and became the youngest player in league history to score a hat trick. She also had four assists.
Yet scoring was still a glaring issue for the Courage, particularly early in the season. Manaka’s late-season run eventually bumped the team up to a 5th-place finish in the league in terms of number of goals scored, and dramatically narrowed our goal differential to boot (to -2).
But one high-scoring player alone cannot pull the weight of a team through the season, and while the Courage enjoy distributing scoring opportunities to any number of players (including some amazing ones from Shinomi Koyama late season), forwards were not finding the back of the net.
Let’s look at how the top 3 teams in the shield race fared:
Kansas City
- Temwa Chawinga – 15 goals
- Debinha – 8 goals
- Beatriz – 7 goals
Washington Spirit
- Gift Monday – 8 goals
- Ashley Hatch – 6 goals
- Trinity Rodman – 5 goals
Portland Thorns
- Olivia Moultrie – 8 goals
- Reilyn Turner – 5 goals
- Pietra Tordin – 4 goals
And then the Courage:
NC Courage
- Manaka Matsukubo – 11 goals
- tie with 3 goals each: Shinomi Koyama, Jaedyn Shaw, Brianna Pinto
Right away two problems are apparent. First, we don’t have another forward putting up serious productivity in terms of goals. In fairness, Pinto often subbed in as a forward, but another goal or two in critical games would have nabbed a post-season spot for the Courage. And there’s problem number two: Pinto and Shaw no longer play for the Courage.
Interestingly, league champions Gotham FC most resembled the Courage, with Esther putting up a whopping 13 goals, and midfielders Rose Lavelle and Jaelin Howell adding 5 and 4 respectively. Perhaps it undermines my point: winning the title is doable with such a large discrepancy … but Gotham also squeaked into the playoffs at the cutoff line. With two more teams joining the league this year, I think we can agree this is not the preferred path. In multiple interviews this year and last, players around the league have said they respect the Courage’s game, but don’t necessarily fear the team as a scoring threat. That needs to change.
A few assets are in place. Cortnee Vine continues to improve her form after some time away, earning another call-up to the Australian national team in recent friendlies. Recent acquisition Payton Linnehan looked like a threat at multiple points late season, and Aline Gomes is still a very young talent, and it’s possible she progresses the way Manaka has the past few seasons.
Still, throughout an entire NWSL season, teams must contend with fatigue, possible injury, international play and other obstacles, so the newest signings are a big help.
Let’s take a quick look:
Ally Schlegel
Simply put, Schlegel adds another dimension to the squad. A veteran player, Schlegel was a regular starter for the Stars. She tied for 3rd in goals (3 total), and led the team in assists. She also led the team in expected goals, and was second in shot-creating actions, according to FB Ref.
But most of all, she crushes aerial duels. Across the league, she was second only to Louisville’s Taylor Flint, with 109 and 129, respectively. Seattle’s Jordyn Huitema was a distant third with 75. It’s something the Courage desperately need to continue to play their controlled style of offense, and to defend against set pieces.
It’s also worth noting that Schlegel played alongside Linnehan in college at Penn State.
We’ll do a full pre-season analysis when the time comes, but for now, Schlegel looks like a promising veteran addition to the squad. Schlegel signed a 3-year guaranteed contract through 2028.
Here’s her radar chart:
Chioma Okafor
Okafor was signed through the 2028 season, with an option for 2029.
The Courage noted that during her time at UCONN, Okafor scored 30 goals and had five assists in 57 appearances. She’s also a forward on the Nigerian national team, adding more outstanding international talent to the Courage roster.
Lauryn Thompson
Thompson plays for the U-19 England Youth National Team, and, as a fun bonus, is from Wake Forest, NC. She’d committed to play for Florida State before the Courage offer came along, so the next phase of her development will be within the NWSL.
The team is betting heavily on that development, with a guaranteed contract through 2029.
Keeper
With Hensley Hancuff retiring in May, Casey Murphy leaving at the end of the season and the Courage not renewing Katie Cappelletti, Marisa Jordan remained the sole keeper on the squad. Historically, the Courage have kept 3 keepers on contract, so at least one backup was an urgent need. Cue the signing of Madi White from free agency, a standout at Texas Tech who was drafted by Racing Louisville. She was subsequently loaned for awhile to Dallas Trinity, where she had 62 saves and 9 clean sheets (most in the league).
The Courage also signed her through the 2028 season, so it’s clear the team is making an investment. It will be curious to see how White squares up against Jordan for the starting spot.
Contract extensions
The Courage announced two vital extensions for players whose contracts were up in 2026.
- USYNT U-23 star Riley Jackson extended her contract through 2028. Like Manaka, Jackson had a breakout year, adding to a growing squad of young, outstanding talent. This was widely viewed as a critical step for the Courage to build on.
- Defender Maycee Bell also extended through 2028. Bell has seen on-and-off playing time, but has looked excellent when on the pitch, developing from a great player to an outstanding one from her rookie 2024 season through now. When she wasn’t starting, we generally viewed as a game-by-game tactical choice, plus figuring out rotation with recent acquisition Natalie Jacobs. With Kaleigh Kurtz departing for Denver, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bell and Jacobs starting as center backs next year.
- Still no word on Lussi, Speck or Wingate. You can see keep up with changes in our post here.
Around the league
- Bay FC announced their new head coach, Emma Coates, who most recently has helmed England’s U23 team. It’s notable that Coates joins Bev Yanez (Louisville) and Laura Harvey (Seattle) as the only women in a head coaching role in the league right now. We’ll see what Portland, Kansas City, Denver and Boston do.
- Speaking of Boston Legacy FC, they made another great acquisition with Laís Araújo, who most recently played for Portugal’s Benfica, but also has a history throughout European leagues, as well as Brazil’s U-20 squad.
PHEW! I think that finally wraps it all.
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