North Carolina Courage Vs Chicago Red Stars: NWSL Championship Preview

The North Carolina Courage will hope to defend their NWSL crown on Sunday versus the Chicago Red Stars. We take a look at the NWSL Championship battle ahead.

This preview will look at the game from a North Carolina Courage standpoint. This piece considered the Chicago Red Stars perspective.

The North Carolina Courage return to their third-straight championship on Sunday when they host the Chicago Red Stars at WakeMed Soccer Park on Sunday, October 27. As well as being the Courage’s third-straight final, Sunday’s match will be the third-straight meeting between the Red Stars and Courage in NWSL playoffs. The previous two came at the semi-final stage, with North Carolina winning both.

Both teams enter the final coming off playoff victories at home, the North Carolina Courage defeating Reign FC 4-1 while Chicago got over their semi-final hump with a 1-0 victory over the Portland Thorns. The Courage enter the match as favourites, but the Red Stars are a very dangerous opponent.

In fact, they have yet to lose to the Courage this season. They won both matches in Chicago, drawing the third in North Carolina, and conceded an average of just one goal per game, an impressive stat against a team that set a record for 54 goals on the season.

Chicago’s defensive core of Julie Ertz, Tierna Davidson, Sarah Gorden with Alyssa Naeher in goal have slowed down the potent Courage attack like no other team in the league. But therein lies the headline for Sunday’s finale: No Tierna Davidson. The 21-year-old defender was ruled out of the NWSL championship following an ankle sprain suffered Tuesday during training. Missing a World Cup winner is difficult for any club, but against the Courage attack, it looms larger with the talents of Lynn Williams and Debinha on the other side.

Just as the Courage’s attack looks to have a big day in the championship, the Red Stars attack, led by league MVP Sam Kerr, will be one of the biggest threats the Courage defense have faced all year. The Red Stars are the only team the Courage have yet to shut out this season, with Chicago scoring six goals in three matches and Kerr having four of those.

Defensively, Paul Riley’s side will line up differently than what the Red Stars have faced in previous matches this season. Merritt Matthias, who played all three matches against Chicago at the right-back will be unavailable for the championship after tearing her ACL toward the end of the regular season. Instead, Heather O’Reilly will feature in the final game of her professional career.

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Last week, O’Reilly matched up with Megan Rapinoe of Reign FC and handled the FIFA Player of the Year well enough to see her side through to another championship appearance. She will have to do the same against Kerr, Yuki Nagasato and the rest of the Red Stars attack to end her career as a champion.

The North Carolina Courage head into the final match of 2019 having not lost at home this season. But they are yet to defeat the Red Stars. With another championship on the line, the Courage will be hoping to continue their form at home, while also flipping the script against a team that has had their number all season.

Projected XI: North Carolina Courage (4-4-2 box formation): Stephanie Labbé; Heather O’Reilly, Abby Dahlkemper, Abby Erceg, Jaelene Hinkle; Sam Mewis, Denise O’Sullivan; Crystal Dunn, Debinha; Jessica McDonald, Lynn Williams

How To Watch: Sunday, October 27th, 2:30 PM CDT; At WakeMed Park in Cary, NC and on ESPN