The Courage did what they needed to do this week, putting up a spectacular home win against Gotham, in garbage weather, in front of a record-setting crowd. Unfortunately, with Louisville squeaking past Bay FC 1-0, the Courage season ends here.
There are plenty of questions to answer in the offseason. Katie and I discuss these extensively on this week’s podcast, and I’ll follow up with a brief recap in next week’s newsletter.
Beyond that, the newsletter will be sporadic for awhile, reaching your inbox when major news breaks, or there is critical mass on roster changes. My goal is to keep you up to speed on off-season moves, then resume regular coverage ahead of the 2026 season.
In the meantime, thanks for sticking with us, and as always, if you have questions, comments or ideas, please reach out.
Recap: Courage v. Gotham FC
Hype for this match reached fever pitch, with the Courage releasing standing-room-only tickets and hitting a regular season attendance record of 11,170. In spite of a surprise, very cold rain storm, fans largely stuck it out and were rewarded with a great performance to close out the season.
Denise O’Sullivan re-entered the starting lineup, and the Courage opted for defender Maycee Bell to help defend against Gotham’s ferocious press, moves that meant Dani Weatherholt and Ashley Sanchez were listed as subs. With Payton Linnehan and Meredith Speck up top, Tyler Lussi was also listed as a sub. Also noteworthy was the return to availability of Brianna Pinto, an easy choice as an impact sub for the Courage.
Gotham saw the return of world class keeper Ann-Katrin Berger, which immediately made the Courage’s challenge tougher, considering Gotham ranks as one of the stingiest teams in the league in terms of goals allowed.
Even so, at just 14’, Linnehan made a terrific run, hitting a cross to Speck to nab her first goal of the season. I was paying careful attention after this point, as Katie and I have pointed out the Courage have a bad habit of immediately giving up a goal after scoring.
Instead, Manaka performed a stunning steal and scored a deep goal. Oh. My. Goodness.
In the post-game press conference, acting head coach Nathan Thackery was most excited about the first goal, which had a more Courage-style build up. But let’s face it, having a player than can make a few opportunistic goals is what helps you run up a lead against a perennially good opponent.
Emotions were high after the second goal and the game got a little frantic, but after awhile, the Courage reasserted control. Used to making some sharp transitional attacks, Gotham couldn’t find much give with the Courage. Gotham finally had a few great opportunities toward the end of the first half, but some excellent defending held the score at 2-0.
Just after the half, Speck made a great cross in to Linnehan, almost a complete reverse of the earlier play. A Gotham defender tried to break it up, resulting in an own goal. It potentially robbed Linnehan of her first goal of the season, but brought the Courage score tally to 3-0.
Gotham played frantically without much progress after that, until about 20 minutes remaining in the match, with subs giving some new life and a bit of calm to their side. The Courage were a bit in disarray at the end of the match, allowing two goals. The first came after a minor shirt tug from Cortnee Vine. USWNT star Rose Lavelle took the penalty kick and scored at 88’.
The Courage weren’t particularly threatened at this point, but Gotham did one last-gasp build at 90+5’. Katie Stengel connected with Gabi Portilho for the team’s second and final goal, leaving the scoreline 3-2.
Standout stats
- Gotham: 21 shots to Courage 12
- That said, 7 Gotham shots were on target compared to 6 for the Courage; 18 of Gotham’s shots were inside the box!
- The Courage give up 6 corners, and have difficulty defending against set pieces.
- Kaleigh Kurtz made four blocks.
Look ahead: what’s next for the Courage?
I’ll be back next week with a brief post-season analysis, and we’ll continue to keep you apprised of major roster moves, and of course the coaching hire.
Courage news and updates
- Kurtz completed her fourth consecutive Iron Woman season, which honors playing all regular season minutes.
- In a surprise announcement, men’s USL Championship soccer club North Carolina FC said they will not be competing in the 2026 season, despite reaching the playoffs this year. Instead, Chairman Steve Malik said Raleigh is seeking to join USL’s Division One league, which launches in 2028. This requires, among other standards, a 15,000-person, purpose-built stadium. Two existing applicants include Louisville City FC and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, both of whom currently play in the USL Championship league. What this means for the Courage:
- Malik’s statement says, in part, “It’s essential we focus our resources and energy on strengthening the foundation for professional soccer in Raleigh by continuing to invest in the Courage and resetting our men’s strategy for the future.”
- I think it’s safe to speculate that the Courage would be a part of any plan for a new stadium.
- Separating NCFC from the Courage could mean more attention and focus on the Courage for now, since some responsibilities are shared between the clubs.
Around the league and beyond
- Kansas City’s Temwa Chawinga will win her second, back-to-back Golden Boot. The only other player in NWSL history to achieve this is Sam Kerr.
- The playoffs kickoff this weekend! You can see the schedule here. They start this Friday, at 8p, on Amazon Prime, when Orlando Pride hosts Seattle Reign.
That’s it for this week! As always, you can get in touch with tips, suggestions, corrections and more: contact@lionspitch.com.
Find us on BlueSky: @lionspitch