Hello Courage Country!
We said last week that a road win in Louisville would help solidify Courage momentum and prove the Courage can win on the road, which has been a struggle in years past. It wasn’t always pretty, but the Courage walked out with a 2-1 win over Louisville.
We’ll break down that match, and look ahead to Angel City, the final match before the June World Cup break.
Speaking of the June break, next week’s email will be our last until July 8, after the Courage face off against Seattle Reign at home. In the meantime, we’re going to enjoy the break and look forward to the remainder of the season.
What we learned: Courage v. Racing Louisville
Sanchez remains solid, Ijeh rising
Forward Ashley Sanchez added to her already career-high number of goals. Following a 78’ banger, thanks to an assist from defender Feli Rauch (nominated for assist of the week!), Sanchez is now in second place in the golden boot race, 2 goals behind Orlando’s Barbra Banda, and one ahead of Kansas City’s Temwa Chawinga.
Meanwhile, forward Evelyn Ijeh added a second goal in as many weeks, each showcasing clinical finishes. After a great build up from Shinomi Koyama and a stellar run from Manaka Matsukubo, Ijeh took a clever sidestep that allowed her to shoot with her preferred foot and outmaneuver Louisville center back Courtney Peterson. If anything, Manaka’s pass was a little short, forcing Ijeh to slow her run and make a quick decision to put the Courage up 1-0 at the 13’ mark.
Courage seem to have settled on an attacking midfield
Early in the season, head coach Mak Lind preferred midfielders Riley Jackson and Carly Wickenheiser take a slightly defensive posture, allowing Manaka to maintain her usual attacking presence.
Lately, Shinomi Koyama has started over Wickenheiser, with all three midfielders playing higher and more forward-looking. Since this formula seems to be working, Katie and I both think this is the look we’ll see for awhile.
Consistency is improving, but Courage showed some weaknesses
After back-to-back matches with early goals from Boston and Kansas City, players talked about the need for more consistent performances that didn’t allow for teams to get quick, cheap goals in moments where the Courage relaxed their focus.
In the first half of the match against Louisville, the Courage dominated stats, with 59% possession, conceding only a single corner. In the second half of the match, Louisville had all of the momentum. Their side generally eschews possession in favor of creating opportunities against the run of play. Louisville put up 53% possession in the second half, meaning the Courage let off the gas a bit. Not only that, the Courage resurfaced a perennial problem, giving up seven corners, according to FotMob.
It took Louisville until stoppage time to organize a goal – and they scored on a corner kick. Opponents higher up the table might have scored much sooner, so the Courage still need to address these issues to continue their climb.
Look ahead: Courage v. Angel City
Angel City currently sit 11th on the table, surprising after a strong start. They’ve lost 3 of their last 5 matches. They also foul a lot, ranking second in the league behind Boston. Grading on a curve for Boston’s Bianca St-Georges, Angel City might as well be the league leader.
Sometimes, that aggressive play style can throw the Courage, who generally aim for a clean match.
Additionally, Angel City ranks highest in the league with number of set piece goals scored (6 total), which might prove a trap for the Courage given the challenges mentioned above.
Wingback Gisele Thompson is tied for most goals for the team with 3 so far this season, so the Courage can’t let Angel City get serious numbers forward.
On the Courage side, they beat Angel City in both matches up last year, 2-1 each time. Winning the midfield battle should create plenty of opportunities for the Courage to continue to add goals – and wins.
Courage news and updates
- Victory+ did a mini-profile on midfielder Riley Jacksonin advance of this week’s matchup
- The Courage announced they placed defender Sydney Schmidt on the season-ending injury list due to an ACL tear during a training session.
- Call ups:
- Ijeh was called up for Sweden as they continue their World Cup qualifier matches against Denmark and Italy
- Manaka was called up to the Japan team to play against South Africa in friendlies
- Lauryn Thompson was called up to the England U-20 team for friendlies against Canada and Japan
Around the league and beyond
- Barcelona won the Champions League, which means it Lindsey Heaps will be back in Denver soon
- The league continues to give further suspensions for red cards, including to Boston’s St-Georges for a rough foul during their match against Bay FC, and Orlando’s Angelina for a hair pull.
That’s it for this week! As always, you can get in touch with tips, suggestions, corrections and more: contact@lionspitch.com.
Next match: Sunday, May 31, 7:00 pm ET
North Carolina Courage v. Angel City FC
Away
Streaming on: Victory+
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