| 2025 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Managing Owner | Steve Malik | ||
| Club President | Francie Gottsegen | ||
| Head Coach | Nathan Thackeray (acting) | ||
| Stadium | First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park Cary, North Carolina (Capacity: 10,000) | ||
| NWSL Regular Season | 9th | ||
| Top goalscorer | Manaka Matsukubo (11) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 11,170 (November 2 vs GFC) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 6,235 (Apr 26 vs KC) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 7,684 | ||
| All statistics correct as of November 9, 2024. | |||
The 2025 North Carolina Courage season is the team's ninth season as a professional women's soccer team. The Courage played in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States. They reached the mid-season break just outside of a playoff spot, in ninth place - tied on points with eighth-place Gotham FC with 18, but losing the first tiebreaker, goal differential, with a -2 GD compared to Gotham's +5 GD. They finished the season one point out of the playoffs in ninth place.
In the 2024 National Women's Soccer League season, the Courage were never outside of a playoff spot during the season, eventually settling into 5th place for the final 10 weeks of the regular season, before falling to 4th-seeded Kansas City Current in the first round of the playoffs. [1] The Courage also advanced to the knockout rounds of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.
On August 6, 2025, at 7:45 p.m. EDT, the club posted a statement on instagram saying "The North Carolina Courage have terminated the contract of Head Coach Sean Nahas, effective immediately. The North Carolina Courage remain focused on the continued development of the team and maintaining a professional, competitive environment for players, staff, and supporters." [2] [3] [4] No interim head coach was named.
In a press conference at 11 a.m. on August 7, the club named Nathan Thackeray as Acting Head Coach. When asked about the coaching search, Chief Soccer Officer Dr. Ceri Bowley said "We'll take stock after tomorrow's game." [5]
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Casey Murphy | |
| 2 | MF | Ashley Sanchez | |
| 3 | DF | Kaleigh Kurtz | |
| 4 | DF | Natalie Jacobs | |
| 8 | MF | Brianna Pinto | |
| 9 | FW | Olivia Wingate | |
| 10 | MF | Denise O'Sullivan | |
| 11 | DF | Feli Rauch | |
| 12 | DF | Natalia Staude | |
| 13 | DF | Ryan Williams | |
| 14 | FW | Tyler Lussi | |
| 16 | MF | Riley Jackson | |
| 17 | MF | Dani Weatherholt | |
| 18 | DF | Sydney Collins | |
| 20 | MF | Shinomi Koyama | |
| 22 | FW | Cortnee Vine | |
| 24 | DF | Brooklyn Courtnall | |
| 25 | MF | Meredith Speck | |
| 27 | DF | Maycee Bell | |
| 30 | FW | Hannah Betfort | |
| 33 | DF | Charlotte McLean | |
| 34 | MF | Manaka Matsukubo | |
| 44 | GK | Marisa Jordan | |
| 77 | FW | Aline Gomes Amaro | |
| 80 | MF | Oli Peña | |
| 99 | GK | Katie Cappelletti | |
| - | DF | Sydney Schmidt |
| Executive | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Steve Malik |
| President | Francie Gottsegen |
| Chief Operating Officer | Ralph Vuono |
| Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director | Dr. Ceri Bowley |
| Executive Vice President, Special Projects | Pete Sciandra |
| Coaching | |
| Head Coach | |
| Assistant Coach | |
| Assistant Coach | |
| Assistant Coach | |
| Assistant General Manager | |
Win Tie Loss
| July 9, 2025 | North Carolina Courage | 0-0 | Tigres UANL Femenil | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT (UTC-5) | Report | Stadium: First Horizon Stadium | ||
| Note: Match was suspended in the 77' due to heavy rain. | ||||
| July 25, 2025 | North Carolina Courage | 4-0 | Chivas de Guadalajara Femenil | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-5) | Report | Stadium: First Horizon Stadium |
| March 15, 20251 | Racing Louisville | 1-1 | North Carolina Courage | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 5:00 p.m. EDT (UTC-5) |
| Report | Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 2847 Referee: Adorae Monroy |
| March 25, 20252 | North Carolina Courage | 1-2 | Seattle Reign | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT (UTC-5) |
| Report | Stadium: First Horizon Stadium Attendance: 8158 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic |
| March 29, 20253 | Portland Thorns | 0-0 | North Carolina Courage | Portland, Oregon |
| 10:00 p.m. EDT (UTC-5) |
| Report | Stadium: Providence Park Attendance: 15967 Referee: Elton Garcia |
| April 13, 20254 | Gotham FC | 3-1 | North Carolina Courage | Harrison, New Jersey |
| 4:00 p.m. EDT (UTC-5) | Report | Stadium: Sports Illustrated Stadium Attendance: 7115 Referee: Joshua Encarnación |
| April 19, 20255 | North Carolina Courage | 0-1 | Bay FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT (UTC-5) | Report | Stadium: First Horizon Stadium Referee: Iryna Petrunok |
| April 26, 20256 | North Carolina Courage | 3-2 | Kansas City Current | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 p.m. EDT (UTC-5) | Report | Stadium: First Horizon Stadium Attendance: 6235 Referee: Shawn Tehini |
| May 3, 20257 | Utah Royals FC | 0-2 | North Carolina Courage | Sandy, Utah |
| 10:00 p.m. EDT (UTC-5) |
| Report | Stadium: America First Field Attendance: 7371 Referee: Laura Rodriguez |
| May 10, 20258 | North Carolina Courage | 1-1 | Orlando Pride | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-5) | Report | Stadium: First Horizon Stadium Attendance: 9366 Referee: Brad Jensen |
| May 17, 20259 | North Carolina Courage | 2-0 | Chicago Stars | Cary, North Carolina |
| 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-5) | Report | Stadium: First Horizon Stadium Attendance: 8592 Referee: Jaclyn Metz |
| May 25, 202510 | San Diego Wave | 5-2 | North Carolina Courage | San Diego, California |
| 10:00 p.m. EDT (UTC-5) | Report |
| Stadium: Snapdragon Stadium Attendance: 12760 Referee: Elijio Arreguin |
| June 8, 202511 | Washington Spirit | 3-1 | North Carolina Courage | Washington, D.C. |
| 4:00 p.m. EDT (UTC-5) | Report |
| Stadium: Audi Field Attendance: 17625 Referee: Brandon Stevis |
| June 14, 202512 | Angel City FC | 1-2 | North Carolina Courage | Los Angeles, California |
| 10:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-5) |
| Report | Stadium: BMO Stadium Attendance: 14933 Referee: Nabil Bensalah |
| June 21, 202513 | North Carolina Courage | 2-1 | Houston Dash | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-5) | Report | Stadium: First Horizon Stadium Attendance: 6642 Referee: Calin Radosav |
| August 2, 202514 | North Carolina Courage | 0–0 | San Diego Wave | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-5) | Report | Stadium: First Horizon Stadium Attendance: 7,109 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic |
| August 8, 202515 | Houston Dash | 2–1 | North Carolina Courage | Houston, TX |
| 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-5) | Stadium: Shell Energy Stadium |
| August 16, 202516 | North Carolina Courage | 1–1 | Portland Thorns | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:30 pm EDT |
| Report | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 7,122 Referee: Natalie Simon |
| August 22, 202517 | Chicago Stars FC | 3–3 | North Carolina Courage | Bridgeview, Illinois |
| Report |
| Stadium: SeatGeek Stadium Attendance: 2,473 Referee: Luis Arroyo |
| August 30, 202518 | Kansas City Current | 2–0 | North Carolina Courage | Kansas City, Missouri |
| 6:30 p.m. CDT | Report | Stadium: CPKC Stadium Attendance: 11,500 Referee: Joshua Encarnación |
| September 619 | North Carolina Courage | 1–1 | Utah Royals | Cary, North Carolina |
| 5:30 pm MDT (UTC-7) | Report |
| Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 6,358 Referee: Abdou Ndiaye |
| September 13, 202520 | North Carolina Courage | 2–1 | Angel City FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 9:30 a.m. PDT (UTC-7) | Report |
| Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 6,378 Referee: Alex Billeter |
| September 19, 202521 | Orlando Pride | 0–1 | North Carolina Courage | Orlando, Florida |
| 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-5) | Stadium: Inter&Co Stadium |
| September 28, 202522 | Seattle Reign | 2–1 | North Carolina Courage | Seattle, Washington |
| 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-5) | Stadium: Lumen Field |
| October 4, 202523 | North Carolina Courage | 1–3 | Racing Louisville | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-5) | Stadium: First Horizon Stadium |
| October 11, 202524 | North Carolina Courage | 1–1 | Washington Spirit | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-5) | Stadium: First Horizon Stadium |
| October 17, 202525 | Bay FC | 1–4 | North Carolina Courage | San Jose, California |
| 10:00 p.m. | Stadium: PayPal Park |
| November 2, 202526 | North Carolina Courage | 3–2 | Gotham FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| TBD | Stadium: First Horizon Stadium |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City Current (S) | 26 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 49 | 13 | +36 | 65 | Playoffs and CONCACAF W Champions Cup |
| 2 | Washington Spirit | 26 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 42 | 33 | +9 | 44 | |
| 3 | Portland Thorns FC | 26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 36 | 29 | +7 | 40 | Playoffs |
| 4 | Orlando Pride | 26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 33 | 27 | +6 | 40 | |
| 5 | Seattle Reign FC | 26 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 32 | 29 | +3 | 39 | |
| 6 | San Diego Wave FC | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 41 | 34 | +7 | 37 | |
| 7 | Racing Louisville FC | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 35 | 38 | −3 | 37 | |
| 8 | Gotham FC (C) | 26 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 35 | 25 | +10 | 36 | Playoffs and CONCACAF W Champions Cup |
| 9 | North Carolina Courage | 26 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 37 | 39 | −2 | 35 | |
| 10 | Houston Dash | 26 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 27 | 39 | −12 | 30 | |
| 11 | Angel City FC | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 31 | 41 | −10 | 27 | |
| 12 | Utah Royals | 26 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 28 | 42 | −14 | 25 | |
| 13 | Bay FC | 26 | 4 | 8 | 14 | 26 | 41 | −15 | 20 | |
| 14 | Chicago Stars FC | 26 | 3 | 11 | 12 | 32 | 54 | −22 | 20 |
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | Pts | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD |
| 26 | 35 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 37 | 39 | −2 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 16 | +2 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 19 | 23 | −4 |
Last updated: July 28, 2025
Source: NWSLsoccer.com
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference
| Date | Player | Position | Source club | Fee/notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 14, 2025 | | MF | San Diego Wave FC | $450,000 | |
| January 21, 2025 | | MF | Djurgårdens IF Fotboll (women) | $225,000 | |
| May 22, 2025 | | GK | None | Training player signed to contract through 2025 | |
| September 5, 2025 | | FW | None | Training player signed to contract through 2025 | |
| September 12, 2025 | | MF | None | Free agent signed to a contract through 2026 | |
| September 12, 2025 | | DF | Houston Dash | $75,000 + Malia Berkely | |
| August 30, 2025 | | FW | Portland Thorns FC | $48,000 | |
| October 16, 2025 | | DF | Sporting JAX (women) (unpaid academy contract) | Signed through 2027 |
| Date | Player | Position | Destination club | Fee/notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 18, 2025 | | FW | None | Mutual Termination | [19] |
| August 22, 2025 | | DF | Bay FC | $60,000 | [20] |
| September 11, 2025 | | MF | Gotham FC | $1.25m | [21] |
| September 12, 2025 | | DF | Houston Dash | Natalie Jacobs |
| Date | Player | Position | Destination club | Fee/notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 31, 2025 | | MF | AFC Toronto (NSL) | Loan | |
| July 14, 2025 | | DF | Tampa Bay Sun FC (USLS) | Loan | |
| August 28, 2025 | | DF | Bay FC (NWSL) | Loan |
| Date | Player | Position | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 27, 2025 | | DF | 2027 | [26] |
| August 30, 2025 | | FW | 2027 + 2028 mutual option | [27] |
| December 1, 2025 | | MF | 2026 | [28] |
| December 3, 2025 | | MF | 2028 | [29] |
| Player | Ref. |
|---|---|
| | [30] |
| Position | Player | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| MF | | [31] |
| Month | Player | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| October/November | | [32] |
| Month | Player | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| March | | [33] |
| April | | [34] |
| May | | [35] |
| June | | [36] |
| October/November | | [37] |
| Week | Nat. | Player | Club | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Manaka Matsukubo | North Carolina Courage | [38] | |
| 25 | Manaka Matsukubo | North Carolina Courage | [39] |
| Week | Nat. | Player | Honor | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | | Manaka Matsukubo | Nominee | [40] |
| 11 | | Manaka Matsukubo | Nominee | [41] |
| 17 | | Manaka Matsukubo | Nominee | |
| 20 | | Manaka Matsukubo | Nominee | |
| 25 | | Manaka Matsukubo | Nominee |
| Week | Nat. | Player | Honor | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Casey Murphy | Nominee | [45] |
| 9 | | Casey Murphy | Nominee | [46] |