No team is hotter than Sean Nahas' Courage right now while other clubs in the NWSL playoff picture heading into the week struggled to earn results without their internationals.
NWSL news: North Carolina Courage use Tyler Lussi goal for second straight week to take three points, move past Portland to go top
Before the 2023 campaign began, few would have thought the North Carolina Courage would be setting the pace at the top of the table. That is where the league is at after 14 weeks.
The Portland Thorns had a chance to leapfrog the Carolina side, but the Kansas City Current had other plans. Across all competitions, Nahas' team has not lost a match since June 3 against Kansas City. Losing both Debinha, and Diana Ordóñez changed the Carolina play style into one that continues to wear down any opponent by way of owning possession.
Top of the UKG Challenge Cup group, and one of only two clubs in the regular season to concede less than 12 goals. This is the last club any team in this league would want to play right now. Even without some of their most influential players at each level of the pitch, the Courage stymied the struggling Houston Dash frontline. Many thought that Sam Laity's side was going to have one of the best frontlines in the league, but not once has Houston managed an xG over two since May 3. The Dash has challenged the opponent's goalkeeper just once in the past 180 minutes of league play. The only shot at Katelyn Rowland by the away side came in the 13′, from then on, North Carolina had complete control.
North Carolina has now outscored their opposition in the regular season 10-0 over the last 360 of soccer. Tess Boade, since making her first start against the Red Stars, has been a remarkable addition to the NC frontline. The Texas native had six progressive carries and five progressive passes. Boade and Olivia Wingate are both creative attackers that despite the young age show little to no hesitation in front of any backline. Houston's high press in the beginning of the game left the back door wide open for the Courage's dynamic attackers. Sometimes possession only gets a team so far, but for the second successive week, Nahas' side broke through by way of its No. 14.
Tyler Lussi's moment of brilliance was the story of the match as she beat Jane Campbell from an almost impossible angle on the right flank inside the penalty area. NC rounds out league play before the break against 11th-place Angel City, and while the two battled to a scoreless draw last time, it seems that this club has found a way to consistently find the back of the net while keeping the majority of the ball.
NWSL news: Elyse Bennett comes up clutch once again, OL Reign shock Racing Louisville at home
When a motivated Racing Louisville found the back of the net twice in the first half, Laura Harvey's unbeaten streak looked to be coming to an end. With just 14 minutes left in regulation play, the Seattle side trailed by two goals. You can never count a team like the Reign out due to their prowess in the air and on set-pieces. After a three-match week in which they went unbeaten, the Seattle side announced a two-year contract extension for Harvey.
With two goals in the final 10 minutes, Harvey's team has not netted five straight goals via a header if the UKG Challenge Cup match against Portland is included. Louisville watched and admired as Elyse Bennett flicked her header into the back of the net to secure a valuable point at home. Bennett was once again sensational, playing 90 minutes for the second time in a week. It was not just her goal, but the former KC forward brilliantly played a cross into the box that found Veronica Latsko's head to ignite the late rally. Reign's No. 34 is the perfect rotational option to have during times like these. She is fearless on the ball running at defenders, and always looks to make things happen. A team missing their three best creators due to the World Cup needs a spark like that.
Racing, who were mere minutes away from moving into seventh position in the table will be devasted to leave the Pacific Northwest without all the points. A solid first-half display where Kim Björkegren's team played with a whole lot of purpose was wasted. Houston continues to drop points, and this was the week where Racing would have rightly pushed them down a place in the table. It was the second time this campaign that the Reign have erased a two-goal lead against Louisville. In Kentucky, Harvey's side used a red card that was dished out to the home side to find the equalizer. Getting back into games is just what they do. Racing did not learn the first time to keep their foot on the gas pedal, and paid big time.
NWSL news: KC Current win NWSL Championship rematch part II, make progress up the table
Since the internationals have departed Oregon, the Portland Thorns have begun to trend in the wrong direction. It only took four total shots for Kansas City to take the three points at Providence Park. Powered by rookie Michelle Cooper's second goal in her last three matches, the Current earned an upset victory to make it two triumphs in a row.
Caroline Sjöblom's team move into 10th position, just one point behind the Orlando Pride, and Louisville in ninth and eighth position receptivity. Alexa Spaanstra, who was arguably one of Kansas City's best players on the night created the penalty opportunity by driving at Meghan Klingenberg and forcing her into a mistake. Cooper calmly put it into the bottom right corner, sending Bella Bixby the wrong way for what would end up being the deciding goal of the contest. Critics can talk about the trade that sent Lynn Williams to NJ/NY Gotham FC, but it is evdient early on in her career, Cooper has the makings of becoming a quality attacking player. At just 20, the former Duke forward is second on the team in shot creating actions, trailing on Brazilian international Debinha.
It is not due to the fact that the depth is not there for Portland. This team without Sophia Smith created 26 shots. A lot of it was unlucky, but Cassie Miller between the sticks deserves a lot of credit for making life as difficult as possible for the home side. Six saves in the second half for the KC keeper including a show stopping save in which she denied Isabella D'Aquila a close range goal. The Thorns have the regroup with a tough match at Red Bull Arena across in the country next on tap. KC lost five consecutive matches across all competitions earlier this season, failing to score a goal in three straight league games. Now, behind the youngsters on the roster, the Current are slowly climbing up the table with one match to go before the hiatus.
