Match preview: Seattle Reign vs. NC Courage

Seattle Reign return from the month-long NWSL break looking to regain some of their early-season momentum and put themselves in a playoff spot. First up is one of the toughest road trips of the season: across the country to Cary, North Carolina, to face the NC Courage.

The match, originally slated to kick off at 6:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, July 4, was pushed back 60 minutes due to a heat wave hitting the region. The game will now kick off at 4:30 p.m. PT and air on NWSL+.

It will still be about 92 degrees and with 55% humidity at kickoff, but at least there will be a little more shade.

The Courage will be without standout midfielder Manaka Matsukubo, who transferred to Chelsea FC this week. Manaka, the reigning NWSL midfielder of the year, had four goals and five assists this season.

The Reign, on the other hand, will be without Claudia Dickey, who is still recovering from the knock she picked up with the USWNT in June. Jess Fishlock is improving and even traveled with the team but might not be ready for this match. Still, that's a great sign after many feared she might not return this season.

Head-to-Head

The Reign are 6-11-3 all-time against the Courage, including a rough 2-9-0 on the road.

The Reign have scored 17 goals and conceded 27 in this matchup
The Reign have won the last three games vs. the Courage

2026 record

Seattle Reign: 4-5-2 (14 points, 10th place)

North Carolina Courage: 5-3-3 (18 points, 7th place)

Key departures

In addition to Manaka leaving this week, the biggest Courage departure this offseason was longtime veteran midfielder Denise O’Sullivan, who became one of the league's best holding midfielders. And, after trading with the San Diego Wave to bring Jaedyn Shaw into the squad last year, the Courage sent her to Gotham in September.

Key additions

One of the biggest signings for North Carolina was striker Evelyn Ijeh, who came over from AC Milan. England youth national team star Erica Meg Parkinson has also signed with North Carolina on a multi-year deal through 2029, with a club option for 2030. The 18-year-old won't be eligible to suit up until July 14. In the past three seasons for Valadares Gaia in Portugal, she’s earned eight goals and seven assists in 52 matches.

Key stats

The Reign are 4-0-0 when leading at halftime.
The Courage are 2-2-1 at home. The Reign are 2-2-1 on the road.
North Carolina has scored 17 goals and conceded 13. The Reign have scored 10 and conceded 13.
The Reign play three of their four July games on the road against top teams – vs. NC, Gotham, and San Diego.

Who to watch

Evelyn Ijeh

The forward has three goals in her last three games. The Courage have lacked a traditional No. 9 for a while, and Ijeh provides that, including the ability to get in behind defenses. Ijeh finished third in the Golden Boot race in the 2024-25 season with AC Milan with 12 goals. Before coming to North Carolina, she scored four goals in 800 minutes to start the 2025-26 season in Italy. A Swedish international, Ijeh debuted for the senior national team in 2024.

Ryan Williams

The right back has three assists this season. She's an important part of how the Courage attack, combining with teammates and using her speed to get endline for a cross or cutback pass. With that said, her runs can leave space in behind to attack. Can Maddie Dahlien take advantage of that?

Ashley Sanchez

The 27-year-old attacking player is having her best season. Starting primarily on the left wing, where she has a lot of freedom to roam and cut inside, Sanchez has seven goals and one assist. She's finding a lot of space on the left side of the pitch as the Courage pull opponents to the opposite side of the field. With that space, Sanchez likes to get on the end of crosses, take her player on 1v1, or shoot from the top of the box. The Reign can't turn off for a second with her on the left wing.

"A lot of teams force the ball away from her, but then she hurts you on the switch. And I think that that's something that we're mindful of, that she sort of hangs out on that left-hand side and they get a lot of people on the right-hand side that you have to defend and then they try and switch it on you," Harvey said. The Reign backline will have to stay locked in.

What to watch

The Courage buildup vs. the Reign press

New head coach Mak Lind arrived from Sweden's BK Häcken, preaching a possession-based style built around purposeful line-breaking passes, and North Carolina has bought in. They controlled nearly 61 percent of the ball in Lind's season-opening debut and are fifth in the league in average possession (52.9%). The Courage are committed to playing out from the back, even under pressure. When they get it right, they are a lethal attacking squad who, with the addition of their striker Ijeh, can really get in behind defenses.

"I think with the addition of some players and the coaching change, they play a very similar style of football [to prior Courage teams], but with an added threat in behind you. So you can't quite defend the same way we have previously against North Carolina, which has often been really successful for us," Harvey said. "We have to tweak that a little bit now because they really do have a good threat in behind with the players that they've got, which opens up space in their midfield. So we've got to be mindful of that."

Midfield battle

The Reign have rotated a lot in the midfield, with Sam Meza as the most consistent option as a ball-winning midfielder who continues to lead the league in tackles won. The bigger question is: who lines up next to her in the midfield, and how can they play a bigger role in the Reign's offensive build-up? With Jess Fishlock being out for the last two months, the Reign haven't had that attacking presence in the midfield. Can Nérilia Mondésir return to her early-season form, or is this a game where we see Sally Menti step up and lead?

For the Courage, who fills Manaka's shoes in making runs into space when the Courage overload the right side of the field? Will Ashley Sanchez move from the left wing into the center? Will young midfielder Riley Jackson step into that role? She's a creative and skilled player who has been deeper in the midfield this year but played higher up at times last season. She earned her first senior USWNT cap this year. Or can the Reign take advantage of Manaka's absence?

Goals, please

The Reign need to show that they can create more chances. They are undefeated when they score first. At a hot, humid place like Cary, an early goal would of course do a lot for the Reign. But more importantly, the Reign need to find their offensive rhythm — something they've been lacking in their last two months of NWSL play. They've scored three goals in their last seven games. Can they flip the script and set the tone for a busy July, which features three matches on the road?

"We are very much a team that knows we have to be hard to beat, but I think we've got to match that sort of solid don't get beaten mentality with being a little bit risky on the attacking side to get bodies higher up the field to get more people around the goal," Harvey said when asked about how the team wants to create more chances. "So we can turn that one chance or one cross or one opportunity into a multiple-layer attack. And the only way you're going to do that is by having more bodies up the field. So that's been a focus of ours in the summer."

Kit matchup

Injury / Availability Report

Seattle Reign

Pending league report

North Carolina Courage