The North Carolina Courage finished the regular season at the top of the NWSL table with 49 points and will host the fourth-place Reign FC on Sunday, Oct. 20 in the first round of the NWSL playoffs.
The Courage won the regular season series against the west coast club with two wins and one loss. In all three matches, it was the home side that managed to come away with the win, a boost for the Courage, as they will host the playoff contest.
The two wins at Sahlen’s Stadium in Cary were low-scoring, 1-0 and 2-0, but solid showings by the Courage, and a repeat of that will be expected by the Courage faithful.
One of the factors that will separate the playoff meeting and those two wins, however, will be the presence of United States Women’s National Team star Megan Rapinoe, who has returned to the Reign lineup in recent weeks following a post-World Cup injury.
In the absence of Rapinoe, the goal scoring for the Reign has been by committee, as seven different players have grabbed two or more goals this season. Leading the way is Bethany Balcer, who has found the back of the net six times this season.
Similarly to Reign FC, the Courage has had many multi-goal scorers, with eight; however, the Courage has also had a number of prolific goal scorers, with four different players scoring more than Balcer. The leading scorer for the Courage, Lynn Williams, has twice as many goals as Balcer, with 12.
While the three meetings between the Courage and Reign were closely contested affairs, the stats indicate a large gap in ability between the two sides.
The Courage set an NWSL record with 54 goals this season, breaking their own record of 53 from the previous season. Reign FC scored just 27 goals this season and ended with the same amount of goals allowed, while the Courage, on top of scoring the most, also conceded the least amount of goals in the league with 23.
While the numbers speak for themselves, the game will likely be a close affair, like the first three meetings, as the two sides are coached by two of the best in the business, with Paul Riley and Vlatko Andonovski leading from the sidelines.
Both coaches were in the running for the USWNT job, and while Riley took himself out of the race very early, Andonovski is the front runner for the job, and his announcement looks imminent. With two excellent coaches both attempting to best one another’s tactics, the match should be a fun one for the neutrals.
The Courage look poised to advance to the finals and are the favorites in this match for sure, but it won’t be a walk in the park for the shield-winners given the talent they are facing.
The match is set to kick off at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in what will likely be a sold-out Sahlen’s Stadium. The winner of the match will be back in Sahlen’s Stadium the following Sunday for the NWSL Final.
