No Courage players called up on the USWNT roster
The Courage pulled out a needed win over struggling Chicago. But next, the team have to contend with a road match against San Diego, who have made a surprising run up the table, overtaking Orlando this week.
San Diego was such a mess at the end of last season, most people didn’t rate them for being a top contender, despite getting an outstanding new head coach. But they’ve played with an aggressive new style and look formidable.
Let’s see how last week went, and how next week might play out.
Recap: Courage v. Chicago Stars FC
On our podcast, Katie predicted a messy match against Chicago, but ultimately a Courage victory, and she was right. The Courage had some sloppy passes in the early stages of the match, but tightened things up approaching the half, ultimately walking way with a solid 2-0 win.
We saw a fun change to the lineup with Jaedyn Shaw returning to the starting XI, alongside Ashley Sanchez. Defender Feli Rauch was out with a minor lower body injury, which opened the door for a start from Tyler Lussi.
Recently, Ryan Williams has played more aggressively forward with Rauch more midfield, only crashing when necessary. Since Lussi usually plays as a forward for the Courage, the team had a more aggressive stance than normal, playing very high on the pitch.
This, combined with Chicago’s midfield creating some problems for moving the ball, meant Chicago had a few opportunities to make some chances, but ultimately it only amounted to a few serious efforts from Ludmila.
Maycee Bell was outstanding, particularly in defending Ludmila, a matchup that happened a little too frequently. Casey Murphy also turned in a strong performance, notching yet another clean sheet.
Scoring was entirely the Manaka Matsukubo show. Early in the match, midfielder and captain Denise O’Sullivan had a gorgeous through ball to Manaka. Chicago’s scrambling defense forced a goal kick at a narrow angle, but it was still a great shot from Manaka. Unfortunately, Chicago’s keeper is … world class talent Alyssa Naeher, who made a terrific save.
Thankfully, O’Sullivan and Manaka managed to repeat the effort after the half, resulting in Manaka’s first goal of the season:
The brace came from a beautiful build. Williams throws in to Shinomi Koyama, who exchanges it again with Williams. Picking up the ball again in open space, Shinomi gets a, patient excellent cross over to Manaka. Lussi and Cortnee Vine created just enough chaos in the box to pull defenders, which gave Manaka the time she needed to get a sailing shot toward the top far post and into the net.
The Courage racked up 3 more points on the table, and are starting to look competitive in a pretty even league this year.
Standout stats
- The Courage hosted nearly 8,600 fans at WakeMed. The consistently high numbers continue to be impressive, given that the team historically only sees this level of support toward the end of the season.
- Also this incredible stat from Opta:
Look ahead: Courage v. San Diego Wave
San Diego looked like they were coming apart at the seams last season. They let go of former head coach Casey Stoney early in the season after a middling performance. Club President Jill Ellis departed to be Chief Football Officer at FIFA amidst allegations of verbal abuse and essentially fostering / permitting a hostile work environment. New general manager Camille Ashton joined partway through the season.
In the back half of the season, the club changed owners following a record $120m sale to the Levine Leichtman Family. Abby Dahlkemper left for Bay FC, Alex Morgan retired, Naomi Girma got a record $1.1m to leave for Chelsea, Kaitlyn Torpey went to the Thorns, and of course Shaw left for the Courage.
And finally, in January, they announced Jonas Eidevall, from Arsenal, would join as new head coach.
One (me, specifically) might be forgiven for thinking the club would be too much of a mess to make anything of this season, even though things do finally seem to be settling down. Instead, they joined Angel City for a surprise run up the middle of the table, and then … kept going. They now sit at #2, though they have 17 points to the Courage’s 12.
Part of this success is Eidevall making strong early moves to play an energetic and aggressive possession-based style. Additionally, the club quietly made some strong acquisitions, including several European players, such as forward Adriana Leon and midfielder Gia Corley. Seventeen-year-old midfielder Kimmi Ascanio also has had a breakout year. And I’m sure everyone remembers Houston’s debacle with María Sánchez, who signed a record $1.5 million deal, only to request a trade just four games into last season. San Diego picked her up.
The Wave lead the league in possession. The midfield also deftly connects forward passes, something the Courage struggle with from time to time. They will certainly give the Courage a run for their money.
Add in a West Coast road match to boot, and the Courage have a tough match ahead of them.
Courage news and updates
- Keeper Hensley Hancuff retired to pursue a different professional opportunity.
- Here’s a quick look at Denise O’Sullivan’s exceptional season.
- Manaka was named NWSL Player of the Week.
Around the league and beyond
- Savy King out of the hospital and recovering after heart surgery.
- No Courage players were called up for the USWNT roster in friendlies against China PR and Jamaica.
- Jeff Kassouf is reporting that Shaw will represent the US on the U-23 team, rather than the senior USWNT. The full U-23 roster should come out later today.
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 25, 10:00 pm ET
North Carolina Courage v. San Diego Wave
Away
Streaming on: CBSSN. You will need a cable service to view this match.
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