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Issue #1: New kits! Plus: offseason recap

Hi Courage Country! Welcome to the first “official” edition of The Lion’s Pitch. 

Issue #1. Be sure to encase this in archive-quality plastic to sell as a collector’s item one day.

We’ll take a look at the 2024 season kits, as well as a retrospective on offseason roster moves. I’ve made this as brief as I could, but there’s a lot to cover, so let’s dive in!

New kits are here! 🥳

All 14 NWSL teams released new kits yesterday. I love kit releases, which spark some pre-season fun and conversation among fans. They may even expand interest in the teams beyond the dedicated fanbase. As Jeff Kassouf wrote in this great piece for ESPN, “Fashionable kits reach more than just soccer fans; they become grassroots marketing to everyone.” 

Click below for a quick look:

They also posted a funny player reaction video. Yes, you can purchase these now (I don’t get any affiliate revenue, I just wanted to save you the search if you want one! 😂).

If you’re interested in how the Courage kits stack up against the rest of the league, Nike put together a great overview. Notably, they say, “For the first time ever, all 14 teams in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) will receive new, reimagined primary and secondary kits, featuring designs that convey each club’s rich identity.” 

The secondary kits are really more of a template with color palette adjustments, but it’s certainly a step forward for the league. And it sounds like more design options will be available to the teams next time around. Player-specific merch, including goalkeeper jerseys, will be rolled out in the next few weeks.

If you want to see the new kits in action: Gotham and San Diego will be wearing theirs during the pre-season Challenge Cup on March 15.

Two fun things

  • Tyler Trent at Topbin90 did a great analysis of Narumi’s impact on the 2023 squad.
  • Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy made her first appearance for the USWNT of 2024 (18th overall), posting a clean sheet against Argentina in the second game of the CONCACAF W Gold Cup group round. It’s keeping the streak alive: she posted a shutout in all six of her 2023 starts as well.

Offseason recap

Last year’s squad was something special. A year ago, nearly every media group releasing preseason predictions had the Courage finishing in the bottom three teams; instead, we finished third in the league. 

When a team like that is coalescing, every loss hurts. But, so goes modern sports. The player carousel spins ever faster (here one year, gone the next, so long 🦊). We’re left with wishing those players the best, and we know we’ll be fans of theirs no matter what kit they’re wearing.

Of course, we shouldn’t overlook the upside: we signed some great talent as well. On the whole, this year’s team looks like a stronger group at the outset.

Breaking it down:

Departures

With that agonizing series of departures, the Courage made some terrific moves.

Arrivals

  • Bianca St-Georges was acquired as a free agent from the Chicago Red Stars.
  • Ashley Sanchez arrives from the Washington Spirit. We gave up two first-round draft picks for her: one to Washington, and a second to Chicago to help pay for the trade. The Courage explain it here. 
  • Dani Weatherholt joins as a free agent from Angel City.
  • Feli Rauch was acquired from Wolfsburg; she also plays on the German National Team. In an episode of the Attacking Third podcast, head coach Sean Nahas was hinting at this deal with some swagger, and rightfully so.
  • I detailed draft selections Julia Dorsey, Landy Mertz and Talia Staude here.
  • We also had a nice surprise when the preseason roster was announced with some additional non-roster invitees (NRIs) being included: defenders Victoria Haugen and Jenna Winebrenner, along with midfielder Giovanna DeMarco.

I’ve summarized the complete list of preseason squad members at the end of this newsletter.

Quick analysis

We head into the 2024 season with a thrilling mix of players populating a deep bench. The Courage strategy this year inverts recent history, in which they’ve generally relied on supplementing the team with draft picks or international talent. Giving up two first round draft picks for Sanchez was a clear signal of this shift. There are other serious veterans in the mix with the additions of St-Georges, Weatherholt and Rauch, as well as those we’ve retained from last year’s squad. 

Personally, my favorite players in soccer are the midfielders. As a fan, I want to see players fight for – and win – that ball (hi Sully and Narumi!). That said, while I enjoy that our squad has ~all the midfielders!~, I’m curious to see how everyone gets minutes in a satisfying way for fans and players alike.

Rauch is a huge win. While I was crushed to lose Fox, I think Rauch brings two things to the table. First, of course, is replacing one national-team caliber player with another at left back. It was a critical hole to fill.

But Rauch has another aspect to her play that I think addresses a limitation of the 2023 squad: a technical precision in corner and deep penalty kicks. I think bringing on a technical weapon in addition to Narumi is underrated in other preseason analyses I’ve seen. 

Bonus: check out the fun highlight video Wolfsburg put together on her departure:

As for the forward positions … everyone has questions. It’s less about who is listed; it’s a solid group. But it feels thin, especially knowing League MVP Kerolin Nicoli is out most of the season. Sanchez and St-Georges were listed as forwards on the Courage preseason roster, adding depth. Still, nothing will be a 1:1 replacement of Kerolin and Boade, who could spread defenses thin with their speed. Even when we had both of them healthy, we struggled at times to finish.

That said, it’s a mistake to underestimate this coaching crew – a mistake a lot of analysts made last season. So while the forward positions look very different this year, for the moment I can extend the benefit of the doubt and assume we’re planning a different, more nuanced look up front.

Standout stats

2024 NC Courage pre-season roster

Let’s just acknowledge the heartbreak: Kerolin remains on the Season Ending Injury (SEI) list indefinitely. She tore her right ACL in the 2023 season finale against the Washington Spirit. It’s a long road to recovery, and there was a lot of talk during last year’s world cup about women athletes being more at risk for this type of injury than men.

In other injury news, Sydney Collins fractured her ankle last week training with the Canadian Women’s National Team for the inaugural CONCACAF W Gold Cup. She was replaced by fellow Courage member Bianca St-Georges, who initially wasn’t called up.

As for the rest of the roster: NWSL league rules require teams to have a minimum of 22 players, and a maximum of 26 players. The Courage announced a 32-player preseason roster, though Mille Gejl subsequently was listed out on loan.

That said, league rules may allow more than 26 players on the initial squad: if a player ended the season on the SEI list, teams can roll them into the new season with the SEI designation, which doesn’t count against your total. Kerolin, right now, wouldn’t count as part of the 26 cap, but will once she returns to play. Likewise for Rikako Kobayashi and Meredith Speck, who remain on the SEI list. 

Clara Schilke was removed from the SEI list in the announcement.

The Courage will likely have to make a couple of preseason cuts (counting NRIs), and eventually resolve any remaining discrepancies as other players come off of the SEI list. But as of this newsletter, this is the squad they are working with:

GK (3): Marisa Bova, Hensley Hancuff, Casey Murphy

D (10): Malia Berkely, Sydney Collins (injured), Julia Dorsey (draft pick), Victoria Haugen (Non-Roster Invitee), Estelle Johnson, Kaleigh Kurtz, Feli Rauch, Natalia Staude (draft pick), Ryan Williams, Jenna Winebrenner (NRI)

M (12): Giovanna DeMarco (NRI), Riley Jackson, Manaka Matsukubo, Landy Mertz (draft pick), Narumi Miura, Denise O’Sullivan, Victoria Pickett, Brianna Pinto, Clara Schilke, Dani Weatherholt;  Rikako Kobayashi (SEI) and Meredith Speck (SEI)

F (6 with Gejl on loan): Haley Hopkins, Tyler Lussi, Ashley Sanchez, Bianca St-Georges, Olivia Wingate;  Kerolin Nicoli (SEI) and Mille Gejl (out on loan)

Phew! That’s a wrap. I promise not all newsletters will be this long, but we had a lot to catch up on!

Thanks and I’ll be back in your inbox next week with a look at the 2024 schedule.

You can always get in touch with tips, suggestions, corrections and more: contact@lionspitch.com.

Until next time, roar on, Courage Country.

Next match: Saturday, March 16, 7:00 pm ET

North Carolina Courage v. Houston Dash

Opening match. Home game.

Streaming on: NWSL+  Sign up for free here.

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