Hello Courage Country!
The Courage posted a 1-0 victory in Seattle, moving back into playoff position with 3 games remaining in the regular season.
The team sits eighth on the table, the cutoff for playoff eligibility. It was an important win, reversing a 3-game slide at the end of a long stretch without a break, including back-to-back road matches. The hard-fought victory showed the team can dig deep and grind out a match when they need to.
We also saw midfielder Riley Jackson and center back Natalie Jacobs return for nearly the full match, so the Courage have two critical players in place for the final stretch.
One more thing: the players finally get an international break, so the newsletter and podcast will also take a break next week. We’ll be back to recap the San Diego matchup, and determine how the rest of the season is shaping up.
What we learned: Courage v. Seattle Reign
The Courage exhibited patience and control
It was an impressive outing in Seattle. For a large part of the match, the Courage played in their preferred style, creating more opportunities than they had the previous week against Utah.
All soccer matches have ebbs and flows, and Seattle served up a grueling series of attacks in the final 10 minutes, but the Courage outlasted it for the win.
The lone goal was an excellent example of the teamwork and discipline that went into this match. After Ryan Williams, Jackson and Shinomi Koyama worked the ball up the right side, a defender kicked the ball out of bounds for a throw-in.
Erica Meg Parkinson recognized Seattle was using the moment to take a breath, and made a darting run forward. Williams threw the ball to her, and Parkinson passed back, seemingly to Jackson, for a shot. Defenders closed in on Jackson, but Gianna Paul positioned herself behind Jackson, received the pass and booted the ball.
A deflection gave the kick a high, wobbly arc, and the ball made it just past keeper Claudia Dickey for the goal.
It was messy, but it was also a true team effort with everyone making smart heads-up plays.
Holes in the midfield are still creating chances for opponents
I took screenshots from a moment when Seattle got the upper hand to illustrate this point, which we’ve been discussing on the podcast in the past few weeks.
Early in this Seattle possession, Jackson moved forward to mark a defender. Shinomi is torn between Sofia Huerta and Jess Fishlock. She opts for Fishlock, with Williams running up to meet Huerta.
Seattle recycled the ball and made a quick pass to their right, pulling Jackson, Shinomi and Williams in that direction. Then, they crossed to Huerta. You can see how much room she had below.
She had so much separation, Huerta beat Jackson in a footrace, then crossed back toward the right. Courage center back Uno Shiragaki got a foot on the ball, but not much force, and it bounced directly to the feet of Ryanne Brown.
Brown took the shot. You can see what a good job Seattle is doing making sure there’s a second option to the right, leaving Feli torn between Brown and the other rushing attacker.
Thankfully, Kailen Sheridan made a diving save, leaving the match tied at 0-0.
Other opponents have capitalized on similar situations, and Seattle nearly scored here.
Courage did a better job of stretching back line
Head coach Mak Lind told us last week that one team goal was go get midfielders more forward-facing, and finding more opportunities for the forwards to run into the final third, something the team has sporadically struggled with, including in the Utah match.
The team looked better in terms of positioning themselves for shots. It doesn’t necessarily show up in the stats, but last week the team relied too heavily on USWNT forward Ashley Sanchez (it feels good writing that).
This week, efforts to get into the final third were more frequent and more distributed, a factor contributing to Paul getting her first professional goal.
Standout stats
What stood out most this week was how even this match was, both in stats and by the eyeball test. It was a fun match to watch, but it prompted me to ask Katie in this week’s podcast whether the Courage can truly beat the top four teams in their current form, should they make the playoffs.
And speaking of matches against a top 4 team …
Look ahead: Courage v. San Diego
San Diego beat the Courage 2-1 on Sept. 12. This time around, the Courage should have Jackson and Jacobs back. It’s good news because the teams matched up fairly evenly before, so more control in the midfield and defense might give the Courage the edge.
In the last match, San Diego got the upper hand in two ways:
- A high, persistent press that disrupted North Carolina’s ability to build
- A stacked midfield, with as many as five players preventing forward movement
In this matchup, Jackson will be a big help addressing the second issue. As for the first, if the Courage are prepared for the press like they were against Seattle, they should see more success.
Normally, I might give an additional edge for the Courage given it’s a home match, but the Courage are currently 6-1-6 at home, so they’ll need to make a strong showing at First Horizon Stadium next week.
Courage news and updates
- Bill Nottingham wrote a piece about the fine line between victory and defeat for the Courage
Around the league and beyond
- Playoff update:
- Clinched: Gotham FC, San Diego Wave
- 1 point needed to clinch: Washington Spirit
- Near elimination: Orlando Pride
- Eliminated: Bay FC, Boston Legacy, Chicago Stars, Houston Dash, Racing Louisville
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, October 17, 7:00 pm ET
North Carolina Courage v. San Diego Wave
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