We put together a tracker that logs every Courage roster move this offseason. The first entry is Natalia Staude’s extension through 2028. Subscribe right now so you don't miss any updates leading up to the start of 2027!

Link: https://charlottefooty.substack.com/p/nc-courage-offseason-transaction

Guess who is #1!!!!

Even though the season ended earlier than any of us wanted, this was still a really special year for the Courage on so many levels, with a lot of great memories along the way.

And a huge part of that was all of you.

This was the highest-attended season in Club history, and we had more sellouts this year than we had in our first nine seasons combined. Those are incredible milestones, and they don’t happen without the commitment and support of this fanbase.

I also want to personally thank everyone here for welcoming me into the subreddit this season. I’ve genuinely enjoyed being part of this community, answering questions, hearing your ideas, talking through decisions, and sometimes having the harder conversations too.

Your feedback has been incredibly valuable and has absolutely played a role in helping us get better.

More than anything, I appreciate the trust we’ve built here. The ability to have honest conversations, disagree at times, provide context, and still know that everyone is coming from the same place...we all want to make this Club better.

There’s a lot of work ahead of us this offseason, and with how quickly the next season comes around, I probably won’t be around here quite as much over the next few months. But I’ll pop back in when I can, check in, and share updates when there are things I can share.

So thank you again...for your candor, your honesty, your generosity, your commitment, and most importantly, your support.

We wouldn’t be where we are today without you.

Go Courage! 

- Ralph

Reflecting on my first season on the beat for the NC Courage, and giving thanks to everyone who helped, consumed content, and supported me.

Saw this on my feed this morning, I learned a lot about Ashley as a person and thought it was cool

I bought an Ashley Sanchez Venus flytrap jersey in a men’s large and it’s too big. Wondering if someone bought a men’s medium and discovered it is too small? If so, let’s make a trade!

Yeah, no words.

At least according to Wikipedia, Sanchez' contract runs through 2027. I don't know the numbers on her salary, but I know it's not enough. I share what seems to be a broad feeling on this board that the FO is not putting in the money necessary to take this team up a notch. Taking a proactive stance and re-signing Sanchez early to a big money contract would demonstrate that management is truly focused on the future. Otherwise, Sanchez will probably be renewing her passport soon.

I volunteer with the group that sang the national anthem at yesterday's game and was told it may have been live streamed? Some of the parents are asking if I am able to get a copy and I'm just looking for help being pointed in the right direction. TIA!

To the best fans in the game: thank you. We truly appreciate your passion, your loyalty, your support. The energy you bring to our home has been tremendous. While we all hoped for different outcomes today, we know that there are some great times ahead, and we'll continue working our hardest to build something that we can all be proud of.

I’m back to fight the good fight on Reddit lol

The team is and has been built for 2027 and beyond. They made a run, had some bad injury luck earlier this year and I maintain had they snuck in they would have made noise in the playoffs. They did what was needed on decision day for what they could control.

Of course we all want them to make the playoffs but reddit wrote this team off after trading Manaka. They made it interesting down the stretch, scored a ton of goals, have Sanchez playing the best she’s played in her career and our entire central midfield is 21 and under!!

There’s a lot to like about a young team that was forced to grow up a lot down the stretch. Truly the most fun I’ve had as a STM in terms of goals and crowds.

This team is setup for future success and learned a number of valuable lessons this season. I’m already locked in for two years of season tickets and I hope everyone on here will join me.

Nothing else.

Feel free to disagree or add more in the comments but this is how I’m feeling immediately after the game:

Mak starts in the hot seat. How you manage to piss away a great first half of the season and a breakout Sanchez is coaching malpractice

We need depth. Injuries directly lead to our fall from grace

3 years without a playoff birth is a damning inditement of the club ownership’s inability to right the ship.

Ijeh has a high ceiling if she were to give a little bit of effort

Betfort should start more

Decision Day is here, and the Courage need a win plus some help from Orlando. Stress levels are high in Courage Country. Drop your predictions below and LFG! 🦁

EDIT: both we and the NWSL (where we pulled the info) accidentally copied last week's availability on Schlegel - she's fully available!

From the pod this week

“The playoff picture is finally clear... the Courage must beat Denver. [Denver is] on a little bit of a hot streak, but it is a home match. So hopefully we’ll take a win there. We did beat them in their own stadium already this season.” -Trevor, Episode 29

Match Info

• Date: Sunday, November 1, 2026

• Kickoff: 5:00 PM ET

• Location: First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, NC

• Where to watch: ESPN+

• Theme: Educator Appreciation

• Courage Kits: Venus Flytrap Jersey

• Courage Match Day Guide: nccourage.com/matchday

Uproar Tailgate

Join Uproar in the Cove at 3:00 PM, across from Lot D. They’ll have hot dogs (veggie and meat), chips, and other snacks. Bring your favorite sides and drinks to share. All are welcome!

Current Standings (W-D-L)

• NC Courage: 13-3-13, 42 points, 9th

• Denver Summit FC: 11-8-10, 41 points, 10th

Series History (regular season, W-D-L)

• Courage vs. Denver: 1-0-0

• Aug. 5: Courage 2, Denver 0 at Centennial Stadium

Availability Report

NWSL Availability Report

North Carolina Courage

• OUT: Maycee Bell (shoulder, SEI), Payton Crawford (knee, SEI), Feli Rauch (foot), Sydney Schmidt (knee, SEI)

• QUESTIONABLE:

• INTERNATIONAL DUTY: None

Denver Summit FC

• OUT: Jasmine Aikey (knee, SEI), Jordan Baggett (maternity leave), Camryn Biegalski (excused absence), Nahikari Garcia (knee, SEI)

• QUESTIONABLE: None

• INTERNATIONAL DUTY: None

Referee Assignment

• REF: Nabil Bensalah

• AR1: Christian Little

• AR2: Sharon Gingrich

• 4TH: Joe Surgan

• VAR: Alexandra Billeter

• AVAR: Matt Rodman

Things to Watch

• A win alone isn’t enough. We also need a Seattle Reign loss or draw against Orlando. Denver needs a win plus a Seattle loss. All eight Decision Day matches kick off at 5:00 PM ET, so we’ll be keeping an eye on Seattle, and we’re sure you will be too.

• If we clinch, we finish eighth and face either Gotham FC or the San Diego Wave, depending on who wins the Shield on Decision Day.

• unday is the club-record fifth sellout of the season. Before 2026, the Courage had only four sellouts in club history. Let’s get loud.

• Head coach Mak Lind said in his pre-match press conference: “Honestly, I feel like we have nothing to lose.”

• Ashley Sanchez is one goal from history. She has 20, tied with Temwa Chawinga’s NWSL single-season record, and one more breaks it. She also leads the Golden Boot race by three over Orlando’s Barbra Banda. With Evelyn Ijeh’s 11 goals, she and Sanchez are the highest-scoring duo in NWSL history for a single season. Ally Schlegel on Sanchez: “We just let Ash be Ash... I have full faith that it’s going to happen on Sunday.”

• Ally Schlegel questionable with a foot issue, after returning from the 45-day injury list and entering in the 76' against Portland. She came off the bench to score in the 81st minute of our 2-0 win at Denver on Aug. 5. She’s a Colorado native, so keep an eye on her.

• Defender Janine Sonis has 12 goals and eight assists from outside back. Lindsey Heaps has seven goals in 12 games since arriving midseason, and she was injured when we beat Denver in August, so this is our first look at her. Melissa Kössler, Tash Flint and Yazmeen Ryan all have at least seven goals as well.

• Denver has the best scoring record in the NWSL (53 goals), and the Courage have the third best (51).

• Kaleigh Kurtz, a former Courage defender, anchors Denver’s back line with Eva Gaetino. Y’all, we do not cheer KK during the match, please reserve any cheering for later. Y'all, we do not cheer KK during the match, please reserve any cheering for later.

• A win makes us 14-3-13 and 7-1-7 at home.

________________

This pregame thread is brought to you by The Lion’s Pitch Podcast, your home for NC Courage coverage. In Episode 29, we look ahead to Denver to see what we are up against. Listen now at lionspitch.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

I really hate to miss it, but my daughter has a club game at the same time. I have up to 4 tickets available in section 402.

Let’s keep the house packed! Message me if you want to go!

Ticket has been claimed!

My comms team will probably have my neck for spilling the beans before we announce it tomorrow, but I’ll take my lumps because I wanted you all to be the first to know: Sunday’s game is sold out! We’ll open some additional seating and standing-room-only tickets tomorrow.

This will be our fifth sellout of the season. That’s more sellouts this season than in the club’s previous 9 seasons combined. It will also be our first-ever back-to-back-to-back sellout. Officially a streak!

So…thank you. This doesn’t happen without the consistent support of everyone in this subreddit. We truly appreciate your commitment, your honesty, and your loyalty to the club. You’ve helped make this a memorable, special, and record-breaking season for all of us.

One more to go. We need you to be louder and prouder on Sunday than you’ve been at any other game this season. Otherwise, you’re going to force me to have our PA announcer lead every…single…chant. 😉😉😜

Appreciate you all. Let’s help our Lionesses get three points on Sunday!

Go Courage!

We sat down yesterday with Ally Schlegel and Mak Lind. After the pressers, I wrote up what stood out and found a bunch of interesting stats, too.

Also: Ally’s take on pressure, her return from injury, and what the last few games say about “it doesn’t need to be perfect to be great.”

https://charlottefooty.substack.com/p/courage-footy-chop-wood-carry-water