Seattle Reigned us in and MAJOR new player contract news

Apologies for the header, but I had to make some lemonade here, following another narrow loss away. Thankfully, the Courage return to WakeMed this weekend, albeit against a strong Kansas City side. We’ll celebrate our Olympians, so there’s a lot to look forward to.

And the big bombshell for this week was new Collective Bargaining Agreement that is very favorable for players, and continues to make the NWSL an attractive league for global talent.

Recap: Courage v. Seattle Reign

Seattle were unrelenting with a variety of creative shots against the Courage. In the first half of the match, the Courage had 60% ball possession and zero shots. Meanwhile, Seattle put together a threatening volley around the 22’ mark, starting with a quick hit by Ji So-yun that bounced off the post.

Back-to-back efforts at the 51’ and 56’ also looked strong. In the first, Quinn made an excellent cross to Ji again. In the second, Jess Fishlock passed to Tziarra King. Later, another shot from Jaelin Howell hit the cross bar.

And yet even with all of that, the Courage held the match to a 0-0 draw until the end of stoppage time, at 90’ + 7, when a very long cross reached Emeri Adames, who made a header at an awkward angle toward the goal. Casey Murphy was tracking the ball well, and it was surprising she was even able to make a play on it. Still, the ball tipped into the net, and the goal was attributed as an own goal by Murphy. Realistically, there wasn’t much she could have done.

And while that particular goal felt like a fluke, Seattle had so many other great chances, it also felt like they earned the win on this one.

One nice note: The Reign retired superstar Megan Rapinoe’s jersey that night, and it was fun seeing such an incredible legend receive that honor.

Underrated play

Not a specific play, but Katie and I both thought Cortnee Vine added a strong dimension to the team. She had one shot she probably should have taken, instead opting for a pass to Lussi, which was frustrating. Overall, her presence was felt, so hopefully as she settles into the league we’ll see some great things from her.

Look ahead: Courage v. Kansas City Current

For so long this season, the overarching league narrative has been the dominance of Kansas City and Orlando. They remained undefeated until they squared off, and Orlando eked out a 1-0 win.

But last week, Washington put up a massive 4-1 victory over the Current, and suddenly they look vulnerable. The Courage looked good in their away game last May against Kansas City, despite coming away with a 1-0 loss. For instance, the Courage contained super striker Temwa Chawinga throughout the match.

Hopefully, the pieces can fall into place this coming Sunday and we’ll see an exciting game.

News and updates

• THE big news of the week was a surprise, unprecedented collective bargaining agreement that addressed nearly all major player complaints in a single go. The changes are so sweeping it’s difficult to contextualize for the Courage, but I’ll try to do that in a separate post soon.

  • In the meantime, here’s the rundown from the Players Association. For more analysis, The Athletic’s Steph Yang did an incredible job describing the conditions that led to the agreement, as well as doing a breakdown of the major terms (subscription required).

  • The Athletic’s Full Time With Meg Linehan podcast hosted Brianna Pinto to discuss the background behind the deal.

  • The players’ association provided an initial list of free agents. Importantly, the Courage have three players on the list: forward and 2023 League MVP Kerolin Nicoli, midfielder Narumi Miura, and defender Estelle Johnson.

• The Courage acquired rookie defender Maycee Bell for $80,000 and $10,000 in intra-league transfer funds. Bell was a UNC graduate and a first round draft pick for Gotham this season. Her contract is guaranteed through the 2026 season.

• Defenders Victoria Haugen and Maya McCutcheon were waived; this was expected, they were signed to replace roster spots while players were at the Olympics. We kept making other signings, so it was pretty clear they weren’t sticking around. We wish them well, and hope to see them in other squads soon!

That’s it for this week! As always, you can get in touch with tips, suggestions, corrections and more: [email protected].

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