Berkley jensen
Blind tasting some ryes, guess which one took first and last place.
2023.05.29 22:01 frytuna Blind tasting some ryes, guess which one took first and last place.
 | submitted by frytuna to whiskey [link] [comments] |
2023.04.30 14:56 Ok-Assignment-6715 Thoughts on Berkley and Jensen dog food?
I fed my dog this brand of dog food recently (specifically the Chicken and Brown Rice variation). He just kept having diarrhea all throughout. I know there's a certain period where it takes time for a dog to adjust and sometimes they will have diarrhea, but 1 week of diarrhea is just way too long. Btw, I gave this to him gradually. On the other hand, my other dog who also tried this food, he got sick with an upset stomach around the time I fed him this, so I stopped it after 2 days.
Does anyone else have any negative experiences with this brand? Or any positive experiences? Is it reliable?
submitted by Ok-Assignment-6715 to DogFood [link] [comments]
Does anyone else have any negative experiences with this brand? Or any positive experiences? Is it reliable?
2023.04.22 17:42 Muffintime53 Temperature probe setup
 | submitted by Muffintime53 to redneckengineering [link] [comments] |
2023.03.30 23:14 sunrun8188 I’ve been lifting for about 1.5y after 10y of exclusively cardio workouts (running, cycling). I’ve gained 25lbs from my lowest. I’m currently at 163lbs, and 5’7” + 42 years old. Should I continue bulking or start cutting?
 | submitted by sunrun8188 to BulkOrCut [link] [comments] |
2023.03.17 15:14 Joiry Welcome to the 2023 r/NWSL Kickoff Countdown for the 🦁 North Carolina Courage 🦁
 | submitted by Joiry to NWSL [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/t0j8pmzt4boa1.png?width=200&format=png&auto=webp&s=989dd98ebe4e50fa39a98b6128776f20ccf9a463 NC Courage links: twitter, web, instagram, wikipedia St Paddy's Day Edition of the 2023 Kickoff Countdown BACKGROUND Head Coach: Sean Nahas A longtime youth coach, Nahas was head of the NCFC Academy and assistant coach to the Courage, and became interim head coach mid-2021 (see History below). After players advocated for the 'interim' to be dropped, be became the head coach starting with the 2022 season. He seems to prefer a very possession based style of play, though before the preseason friendly against Rayadas de Monterrey, Nahas said the Rayadas played a similar style of soccer he wants to see from the Courage. Team Staff
Due to league sanctions, NCFC is required to hire Courage specific staff (eg a General Manager) separate from its men's USL team. Word has it for the past few years Bobby Hammond, currently listed as SVP Ops & Assistant Courage GM (scroll down to "Operations") has handled most of the tasks of a GM. An internal promotion would seem a likely course, but given no such news so far hints the club may be looking for an outside hire. (speculation: may also be required/strongly suggested by league) Captain: Denise O'Sullivan A Courage OG, the gritty and tough Irish WNT defensive midfielder was given the armband this off season, becoming the second ever team captain. O'Sullivan was voted team MVP in both 2018 and 2019, the Courage's championship years. [Now with her own t-shirt(https://twitter.com/TheNCCourage/status/1636434656450207745)]]) Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, NC (twitter, wp) At only 10k seating, the stadium now has the smallest capacity in the league. It also serves as the Courage's training facility, with a number of practice fields scenically surrounded by trees and running paths. Cary and WakeMed Soccer Park are in the running for US Soccer's future HQ and training facility. Ownership: Steve Malik (principal), Naomi Osaka, full ownership page Mascot: Roary Kits:
Subreddit: nccourage News and Commentary: WRAL Sportsfan - mostly edited versions of official match reports, occasionally some stories. Owned by Capital Broadcasting, which has a stake in NCFC. Courage Country (web, twitter) - fan run, rehashes official news, but has independent interviews with players as well. Lewis Gettier Sports (instagram) takes great photos of the team both at practice and games, which are often used by the team and the Equalizer. Equalizer podcast host Arianna Cascone works in the area, and possibly will be their default Courage correspondent. Key Twitter Follows for Team Insights: Currently, no one really regularly comments on the Courage, but occasionally from previous correspondents: Neil Morris - covered the Courage pre-Covid Nicholas Schnittker - covered the Courage the past few years as a journalism student before graduating last year SCHEDULE 2023 Season & Home Opener: Saturday, March 25th, Kansas City Current Full Schedule HISTORY - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Courage were heavily favored to repeat yet again in 2020, but then covid struct, a prelude to a time of turmoil for the team and league as a whole. In September 2021, the Athletic published a story revealing sexual abuse by NC's head coach when he was at Portland and previous teams. He was fired and Nahas appointed interim. The team struggled for the rest of the season. Although written to a more general audience, this article from June 2022 is a great in depth piece on many of the club's struggles in the past few years. The joint league and NWSLPA report[content warning], released Decemeber 2022, revealed the former coach had attempted to groom a Courage player. 2022 Season Review A second rollercoaster season, on and off the field. The 2021-22 offseason was dominated by high profile departures, precipitated by the revelations about the original head coach. The club decided to honor requests of players who wanted to move on, trading away stars Sam Mewis, Lynn Williams, Abby Dahlkemper, Jess McDonald, and a few other players. In return the Courage got draft picks and money, which were effectively used to acquire players like Brianna Pinto, a former academy player, and had a generally well regarded draft night. The sense of renewal was short lived, as the day after the '22 draft, NC re-signed, after a year of retirement, Jaelene Daniels. Though claiming that hard discussions and other steps had been taken, she again refused to play during the team's Pride Night game. The decision was more perplexing since the Courage had an excellent left back in Carson Pickett, and Daniels was played out of position several times as a forward, to little effect. On the field, the Courage started off strong winning the Challenge Cup, a 'preseason' mini-tournament in '22. However, the team spent most of the regular season at the bottom of the table (weeks 3 thru 14). Partly due to fewer games played, but game results were also falling short. Despite one of the best offenses (2nd most goals), defense was a problem (tied for 4th most goals allowed). Indeed, the Courage were the worst team in giving up leads, and second worst in coming back from behind. While still playing in its (in)famous midfield box formation, the focus on a pure possession, build from the back strategy was vulnerable to every team that could pressure the defense. An addition issue was a poorly balanced roster often leading to using players out of their natural positions. Fortunes changed in the last third of the season. Draftee Diana Ordóñez went on a streak that broke the rookie scoring record. Late addition central midfielder Fuka Nagano, plus a tweak to the midfield structure, shored up the leaky defense. After Ordóñez suffered a shoulder injury, Debinha went on her own tear, challenging for the golden boot. However, in the end, the Courage fell 1 pt short of making the playoffs. If any improvement had been made in the first two thirds of the season, the team could have taken its hot momentum and form into the playoffs. OFFSEASON Players Out
Preseason Roster: Feb 3, Mar 7 update added Hope Breslin, formerly Angel City, as an NRI Goalkeepers (3): Marisa Bova, Casey Murphy, Katelyn Rowland Defenders (10): Malia Berkely, Sarah Clark (NRI), Sydney Collins (DRAFT), Estelle Johnson, Emily Fox, Kaleigh Kurtz, Kiki Pickett, Nikia Smith (NRI), Croix Soto (NRI), Ryan Williams. Midfielders (9): Elianna Beard (NRI), Hope Breslin (NRI), Jennifer Cudjoe (NRI), Emily Gray,Denise O’Sullivan, Brianna Pinto, Clara Robbins (DRAFT), Meredith Speck, Frankie Tagliaferri. Forwards (9): Tess Boade, Millie Farrow (INT), Mille Gejl Jensen (INT), Haley Hopkins (DRAFT), Tyler Lussi, Rikke Madsen (INT), Kerolin Nicoli (INT), Brittany Ratcliffe, Olivia Wingate (DRAFT). Predicted Preferred Gameday XI Formation: probably 4-3-3
**Likely Top Bench/Subs:**Meredith Speck, Tyler Lussi, Kiki Pickett, Emily Gray, Brittany Ratcliffe, Malia Berkely, Clara Robbins, Katelyn Rowland Possible Formation during World Cup/Challenge Cup
Brianna Pinto, Malia Berkely, Kiki Pickett, Kerolin, Rikke Madsen, Tess Boade, Millie Farrow, Emily Gray, Frankie Tagliaferri, Marissa Bova The Vets (only 7 players remain from 2021 roster) Denise O'Sullivan, Casey Murphy, Meredith Speck, Kaleigh Kurtz, Ryan Williams, Katelyn Rowland, Brittany Ratcliffe Something to Prove The Whole Team With the high turnover, 10 new players in 2022 and 9 so far in 2023, few observers are likely expecting much out of the team. The Courage also has one of, if not the youngest, average age rosters. With a low expectations narrative, the players may have a chip on their shoulders to prove the doubters wrong and go Courage vs World mode. Brianna Pinto Declaring a year early, Pinto seemed set to play a major role in Gotham's 2021 renewal, until head coach Freya Coombe left for LA. Sidelined by the new NJ/NY coaches, the Courage paid $100k to get Pinto last off season. She started 2022 strong with a revenge goal against Gotham, but ended up playing back as a defensive midfielder for NC's late season run. With the loss of Debinha, Pinto may be looking to step up as a creator in the Courage's attack. Emily Fox While her versatility of playing either on the right or left flanks seems to have secured her a place on the USWNT, Fox hasn't had as much success in her two years at the club level, and seemed to want out of Louisville pretty bad. She joins a team in a period of transition, but could really shine as a provider to a front line with a lot of goal scoring potential. Olivia Wingate As the Courage's unexpected first draft pick (6th overall), Wingate may feel the pressure to validate her early draft selection. She scored the Courage's lone goal against the Rayadas, zipping in on loose ball after a determined Kerolin attack. Out for the season 2023 PREVIEW As noted above, this is a young squad with a few vets, the product of two "half-rebuilds" across two off seasons. There is a lot of future potential in this roster, and the big question is the rate the talent and rapport of the players develops. The preseason friendly against the Rayadas de Monterrey (as of this post with a perfect 9-0-0 record, GF:28, GA:1 in Clausura 2023) has given the only real look at what 2023 may hold for the Courage (Youtube replay here). The Courage again looked susceptible to heavy pressing and poor defensive turnovers similar to stretches of their 2022 season. Will this experience help the Courage shore up their weaknesses? Realistic Best Case Scenario 6th Despite losing several stars, the 2023 roster has enough aggregate quality and potential depth to make the playoffs, if coached and used effectively. The Shield is unlikely given several very stacked teams in the league. Ideally, with a much more balanced roster than last season, and if the younger players develop well, the Courage should be able to have enough squad rotation to perhaps have fresher legs than many teams into the final stretch of the season. If lessons from the previous season are learned, blending some quick transition and ability to physically win challenges for the ball will be integrated into a less purist vision of possession based play. Realistic Worst Case Scenario 12th Finishing bottom of table is a definite possibility, even without injuries. If the coaching strategy does revert to the purist possession and build from the back like much of 2022, other teams can just brush off their tried and true pressure tactics from last season to force defensive half turnovers. Lacking offensive firepower of Debinha and Ordóñez, the Courage may not be able to out score all the goals they allow, if defensive issues from last season revert. Realistic Most Probable Scenario 8th-9th Although the path will likely be very different than last season, sitting on the playoff bubble would be a safe bet. The team will take time to fully integrate the many new players, and the large number of players with just a few years pro experience will develop at a modest pace, but enough points will be dropped during this process to narrowly miss the playoff line in a tight fight for the last spot. |
2023.03.17 14:45 Joiry **Welcome to the 2023 r/NWSL Kickoff Countdown for the 🦁 North Carolina Courage 🦁**
 | submitted by Joiry to u/Joiry [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/g65yrqnm1boa1.png?width=200&format=png&auto=webp&s=1ac2796571890b3e3fd9f6de86196fa7833d88ba NC Courage links: twitter, web, instagram, wikipedia St Paddy's Day Edition of the 2023 Kickoff Countdown BACKGROUND Head Coach: Sean Nahas A longtime youth coach, Nahas was head of the NCFC Academy and assistant coach to the Courage, and became interim head coach mid-2021 (see History below). After players advocated for the 'interim' to be dropped, be became the head coach starting with the 2022 season. He seems to prefer a very possession based style of play, though before the preseason friendly against Rayadas de Monterrey, Nahas said the Rayadas played a similar style of soccer he wants to see from the Courage. Team Staff Page Nathan Thackeray - GK coachEmma Thomson - Assistant coach (defense)offseason hires: Fabrice GautratVictoria Boardman Technical Director: Kurt Johnson (NCFC Chief Soccer Officer) Due to league sanctions, NCFC is required to hire Courage specific staff (eg a General Manager) separate from its men's USL team. Word has it for the past few years Bobby Hammond, currently listed as SVP Ops & Assistant Courage GM (scroll down to "Operations") has handled most of the tasks of a GM. An internal promotion would seem a likely course, but given no such news so far hints the club may be looking for an outside hire. (speculation: may also be required/strongly suggested by league) Captain: Denise O'Sullivan A Courage OG, the gritty and tough Irish WNT defensive midfielder was given the armband this offseason, becoming the second ever team captain. O'Sullivan was voted team MVP in both 2018 and 2019, the Courage's championship years. [Now with her own t-shirt(https://twitter.com/TheNCCourage/status/1636434656450207745)]]) Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, NC (twitter, wp) At only 10k seating, the stadium now has the smallest capacity in the league. It also serves as the Courage's training facility, with a number of practice fields scenically surrounded by trees and running paths. Cary and WakeMed Soccer Park are in the running for US Soccer's future HQ and training facility. Ownership: Steve Malik (principal), Naomi Osaka, full ownership page Mascot: Roary Kits:
Subreddit: nccourage News and Commentary: WRAL Sportsfan - mostly edited versions of official match reports, occasionally some stories. Owned by Capital Broadcasting, which has a stake in NCFC. Courage Country (web, twitter) - fan run, rehashes official news, but has independent interviews with players as well. Lewis Gettier Sports (instagram) takes great photos of the team both at practice and games, which are often used by the team and the Equalizer. Equalizer podcast host Arianna Cascone works in the area, and possibly will be their default Courage correspondent. Key Twitter Follows for Team Insights: Currently, no one really regularly comments on the Courage, but occasionally from previous correspondents: Neil Morris - covered the Courage pre-Covid Nicholas Schnittker - covered the Courage the past few years as a journalism student before graduating last year SCHEDULE 2023 Season & Home Opener: Saturday, March 25th, Kansas City Current Full Schedule HISTORY - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Courage were heavily favored to repeat yet again in 2020, but then covid struct, a prelude to a time of turmoil for the team and league as a whole. In September 2021, the Athletic published a story revealing sexual abuse by NC's head coach when he was at Portland and previous teams. He was fired and Nahas appointed interim. The team struggled for the rest of the season. Although written to a more general audience, this article from June 2022 is a great in depth piece on many of the club's struggles in the past few years. The joint league and NWSLPA report[content warning], released Decemeber 2022, revealed the former coach had attempted to groom a Courage player. 2022 Season Review A second rollercoaster season, on and off the field. The 2021-22 offseason was dominated by high profile departures, precipitated by the revelations about the original head coach. The club decided to honor requests of players who wanted to move on, trading away stars Sam Mewis, Lynn Williams, Abby Dahlkemper, Jess McDonald, and a few other players. In return the Courage got draft picks and money, which were effectively used to acquire players like Brianna Pinto, a former academy player, and had a generally well regarded draft night. The sense of renewal was short lived, as the day after the '22 draft, NC re-signed, after a year of retirement, Jaelene Daniels. Though claiming that hard discussions and other steps had been taken, she again refused to play during the team's Pride Night game. The decision was more perplexing since the Courage had an excellent left back in Carson Pickett, and Daniels was played out of position several times as a forward, to little effect. On the field, the Courage started off strong winning the Challenge Cup, a 'preseason' mini-tournament in '22. However, the team spent most of the regular season at the bottom of the table (weeks 3 thru 14). Partly due to fewer games played, but game results were also falling short. Despite one of the best offenses (2nd most goals), defense was a problem (tied for 4th most goals allowed). Indeed, the Courage were the worst team in giving up leads, and second worst in coming back from behind. While still playing in its (in)famous midfield box formation, the focus on a pure possession, build from the back strategy was vulnerable to every team that could pressure the defense. An addition issue was a poorly balanced roster often leading to using players out of their natural positions. Fortunes changed in the last third of the season. Draftee Diana Ordóñez went on a streak that broke the rookie scoring record. Late addition central midfielder Fuka Nagano, plus a tweak to the midfield structure, shored up the leaky defense. After Ordóñez suffered a shoulder injury, Debinha went on her own tear, challenging for the golden boot. However, in the end, the Courage fell 1 pt short of making the playoffs. If any improvement had been made in the first two thirds of the season, the team could have taken its hot momentum and form into the playoffs. OFFSEASON Players Out
Preseason Roster: Feb 3, Mar 7 update added Hope Breslin, formerly Angel City, as an NRI Goalkeepers (3): Marisa Bova, Casey Murphy, Katelyn Rowland Defenders (10): Malia Berkely, Sarah Clark (NRI), Sydney Collins (DRAFT), Estelle Johnson, Emily Fox, Kaleigh Kurtz, Kiki Pickett, Nikia Smith (NRI), Croix Soto (NRI), Ryan Williams. Midfielders (9): Elianna Beard (NRI), Hope Breslin (NRI), Jennifer Cudjoe (NRI), Emily Gray,Denise O’Sullivan, Brianna Pinto, Clara Robbins (DRAFT), Meredith Speck, Frankie Tagliaferri. Forwards (9): Tess Boade, Millie Farrow (INT), Mille Gejl Jensen (INT), Haley Hopkins (DRAFT), Tyler Lussi, Rikke Madsen (INT), Kerolin Nicoli (INT), Brittany Ratcliffe, Olivia Wingate (DRAFT). Predicted Preferred Gameday XI Formation: probably 4-3-3
Likely Top Bench/Subs:Meredith Speck, Tyler Lussi, Kiki Pickett, Emily Gray, Brittany Ratcliffe, Malia Berkely, Clara Robbins, Katelyn Rowland Possible Formation during World Cup/Challenge Cup
Brianna Pinto, Malia Berkely, Kiki Pickett, Kerolin, Rikke Madsen, Tess Boade, Millie Farrow, Emily Gray, Frankie Tagliaferri, Marissa Bova The Vets (only 7 players remain from 2021 roster) Denise O'Sullivan, Casey Murphy, Meredith Speck, Kaleigh Kurtz, Ryan Williams, Katelyn Rowland, Brittany Ratcliffe Something to Prove The Whole Team With the high turnover, 10 new players in 2022 and 9 so far in 2023, few observers are likely expecting much out of the team. The Courage also has one of, if not the youngest, average age rosters. With a low expectations narrative, the players may have a chip on their shoulders to prove the doubters wrong and go Courage vs World mode. Brianna Pinto Declaring a year early, Pinto seemed set to play a major role in Gotham's 2021 renewal, until head coach Freya Coombe left for LA. Sidelined by the new NJ/NY coaches, the Courage paid $100k to get Pinto last off season. She started 2022 strong with a revenge goal against Gotham, but ended up playing back as a defensive midfielder for NC's late season run. With the loss of Debinha, Pinto may be looking to step up as a creator in the Courage's attack. Emily Fox While her versatility of playing either on the right or left flanks seems to have secured her a place on the USWNT, Fox hasn't had as much success in her two years at the club level, and seemed to want out of Louisville pretty bad. She joins a team in a period of transition, but could really shine as a provider to a front line with a lot of goal scoring potential. Olivia Wingate As the Courage's unexpected first draft pick (6th overall), Wingate may feel the pressure to validate her early draft selection. She scored the Courage's lone goal against the Rayadas, zipping in on loose ball after a determined Kerolin attack. Out for the seasonThankfully none so far. Tess Boade is recovering from a leg injury from her A-League loan, but is training with the team. 2023 PREVIEW As noted above, this is a young squad with a few vets, the product of two "half-rebuilds" across two off seasons. There is a lot of future potential in this roster, and the big question is the rate the talent and rapport of the players develops. The preseason friendly against the Rayadas de Monterrey (as of this post with a perfect 9-0-0 record, GF:28, GA:1 in Clausura 2023) has given the only real look at what 2023 may hold for the Courage (Youtube replay here). The Courage again looked susceptible to heavy pressing and poor defensive turnovers similar to stretches of their 2022 season. Will this experience help the Courage shore up their weaknesses? Realistic Best Case Scenario 6th Despite losing several stars, the 2023 roster has enough aggregate quality and potential depth to make the playoffs, if coached and used effectively. The Shield is unlikely given several very stacked teams in the league. Ideally, with a much more balanced roster than last season, and if the younger players develop well, the Courage should be able to have enough squad rotation to perhaps have fresher legs than many teams into the final stretch of the season. If lessons from the previous season are learned, blending some quick transition and ability to physically win challenges for the ball will be integrated into a less purist vision of possession based play. Realistic Worst Case Scenario 12th Finishing bottom of table is a definite possibility, even without injuries. If the coaching strategy does revert to the purist possession and build from the back like much of 2022, other teams can just brush off their tried and true pressure tactics from last season to force defensive half turnovers. Lacking offensive firepower of Debinha and Ordóñez, the Courage may not be able to out score all the goals they allow. Nahas may also revert to only late subs and playing players out of position, other chronic issues from the previous season. Realistic Most Probable Scenario 8th-9th Although the path will likely be very different than last season, sitting on the playoff bubble would be a safe bet. The team will take time to fully integrate the many new players, and the large number of players with just a few years pro experience will develop at a modest pace, but enough points will be dropped during this process to narrowly miss the playoff line in a tight fight for the last spot. |
2023.03.13 22:57 Joiry test2
Welcome to the 2023 NWSL Kickoff Countdown for the 🦁 North Carolina Courage 🦁
NC Courage links: twitter, web, instagram, wikipedia
St Paddy's Day Edition of the 2023 Kickoff Countdown
BACKGROUND
Head Coach: Sean Nahas A longtime youth coach, Nahas was head of the NCFC Academy and assistant coach to the Courage, and became interim head coach mid-2021 (see History below). After players advocated for the 'interim' to be dropped, be became the head coach starting with the 2022 season. He seems to prefer a very possession based style of play, though before the preseason friendly against Rayadas de Monterrey, Nahas said the Rayadas played a similar style of soccer he wants to see from the Courage.
Team Staff Page (currently missing recent hire Fabrice Gautrat)
Technical Director: Kurt Johnson (NCFC Chief Soccer Officer) Due to league sanctions, NCFC is required to hire Courage specific staff (eg a General Manager) separate from its men's USL team. Word has it for the past few years Bobby Hammond, currently listed as SVP Ops & Assistant Courage GM (scroll down to "Operations") has been handled most of the tasks of a GM. An internal promotion would seem a likely course, but given no such news so far hints the club may be looking for an outside hire. (speculation: may also be required/strongly suggested by league)
Captain: Denise O'Sullivan A Courage OG, the gritty and tough Irish WNT defensive midfielder was given the armband this offseason, becoming the second ever team captain. O'Sullivan was voted team MVP in both 2018 and 2019, the Courage's championship years.
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, NC (twitter, wp) At only 10k seating, the stadium now has the smallest capacity in the league. It also serves as the Courage's training facility, with a number of practice fields scenically surrounded by trees and running paths. Cary and WakeMed Soccer Park are in the running for US Soccer's future HQ and training facility.
Ownership: Steve Malik (principal), Naomi Osaka, full ownership page
Mascot: Roary
Kits: * Primary "Sunset" (reveal, closeups, worn by Naomi Osaka) * Secondary"Basic" White
Supporters Group: The Uproar (web, twitter)
Subreddit: nccourage
News and Commentary:
WRAL Sportsfan - mostly edited versions of official match reports, occasionally some stories. Owned by Capital Broadcasting, which has a stake in NCFC.
Courage Country (web, twitter) - fan run, rehashes official news, but has independent interviews with players as well.
Lewis Gettier Sports (instagram) takes great photos of the team both at practice and games, which are often used by the team and the Equalizer.
Equalizer podcast host Arianna Cascone works in the area, and possibly will be their default Courage correspondent.
Key Twitter Follows for Team Insights:
Currently, no one really regularly comments on the Courage, but occasionally from previous correspondents: Neil Morris - covered the Courage pre-Covid
Nicholas Schnittker - covered the Courage the past few years as a journalism student before graduating last year
SCHEDULE
2023 Season & Home Opener: Saturday, March 25th, Kansas City Current
Full Schedule
HISTORY - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Courage were heavily favored to repeat yet again in 2020, but then covid struct, a prelude to a time of turmoil for the team and league as a whole. In September 2021, the Athletic published a story revealing sexual abuse by NC's head coach when he was at Portland and previous teams. He was fired and Nahas appointed interim. The team struggled for the rest of the season.
Although written to a more general audience, this article from June 2022 is a great in depth piece on many of the club's struggles in the past few years. The joint league and NWSLPA report[content warning], released Decemeber 2022, revealed the former coach had attempted to groom a Courage player.
2022 Season Review
A second rollercoaster season, on and off the field.
The 2021-22 offseason was dominated by high profile departures, precipitated by the revelations about the original head coach. The club decided to honor requests of players who wanted to move on, trading away stars Sam Mewis, Lynn Williams, Abby Dahlkemper, Jess McDonald, and a few other players. In return the Courage got draft picks and money, which were effectively used to acquire players like Brianna Pinto, a former academy player, and had a generally well regarded draft night.
The sense of renewal was short lived, as the day after the '22 draft, NC re-signed, after a year of retirement, Jaelene Daniels. Though claiming that hard discussions and other steps had been taken, she again refused to play during the team's Pride Night game. The decision was more perplexing since the Courage had an excellent left back in Carson Pickett, and Daniels was played out of position several times as a forward, to little effect.
On the field, the Courage started off strong winning the Challenge Cup, a 'preseason' mini-tournament in '22. However, the team spent most of the regular season at the bottom of the table (weeks 3 thru 14). Partly due to fewer games played, but game results were also falling short. Despite one of the best offenses (2nd most goals), defense was a problem (tied for 4th most goals allowed). Indeed, the Courage were the worst team in giving up leads, and second worst in coming back from behind. While still playing in its (in)famous midfield box formation, the focus on a pure possession, build from the back strategy was vulnerable to every team that could pressure the defense. An addition issue was a poorly balanced roster often leading to using players out of their natural positions.
Fortunes changed in the last third of the season. Draftee Diana Ordóñez went on a streak that broke the rookie scoring record. Late addition central midfielder Fuka Nagano, plus a tweak to the midfield structure, shored up the leaky defense. After Ordóñez suffered a shoulder injury, Debinha went on her own tear, challenging for the golden boot. However, in the end, the Courage fell 1 pt short of making the playoffs. If any improvement had been made in the first two thirds of the season, the team could of taken its hot momentum and form into the playoffs.
OFFSEASON
Players Out
ROSTER
Preseason Roster: Feb 3, Mar 7 update added Hope Breslin, formerly Angel City, as an NRI
Goalkeepers (3): Marisa Bova, Casey Murphy, Katelyn Rowland
Defenders (10): Malia Berkely, Sarah Clark (NRI), Sydney Collins (DRAFT), Estelle Johnson, Emily Fox, Kaleigh Kurtz, Kiki Pickett, Nikia Smith (NRI), Croix Soto (NRI), Ryan Williams.
Midfielders (9): Elianna Beard (NRI), Hope Breslin (NRI), Jennifer Cudjoe (NRI), Emily Gray,Denise O’Sullivan, Brianna Pinto, Clara Robbins (DRAFT), Meredith Speck, Frankie Tagliaferri.
Forwards (9): Tess Boade, Millie Farrow (INT), Mille Gejl Jensen (INT), Haley Hopkins (DRAFT), Tyler Lussi, Rikke Madsen (INT), Kerolin Nicoli (INT), Brittany Ratcliffe, Olivia Wingate (DRAFT).
Predicted Preferred Gameday XI
Formation: probably 4-3-3
Starting XI for the Rayadas friendly
Likely Top Bench/Subs: Meredith Speck, Tyler Lussi, Kiki Pickett, Emily Gray, Brittany Ratcliffe, Malia Berkely, Clara Robbins, Katelyn Rowland
Possible Formation during World Cup/Challenge Cup
Returning Players (all first signed last season) Brianna Pinto, Malia Berkely, Kiki Pickett, Kerolin, Rikke Madsen, Tess Boade, Millie Farrow, Emily Gray, Frankie Tagliaferri, Marissa Bova
The Vets (only 7 players remain from 2021 roster) Denise O'Sullivan, Casey Murphy, Meredith Speck, Kaleigh Kurtz, Ryan Williams, Katelyn Rowland, Brittany Ratcliffe
Something to Prove The Whole Team With the high turnover, 10 new players in 2022 and 9 so far in 2023, few observers are likely expecting much out of the team. The Courage also has one of, if not the youngest, average age rosters. With a low expectations narrative, the players may have a chip on their shoulders to prove the doubters wrong and go Courage vs World mode.
Brianna Pinto Declaring a year early, Pinto seemed set to play a major role in Gotham's 2021 renewal, until head coach Freya Coombe left for LA. Sidelined by the new NJ/NY coaches, the Courage paid $100k to get Pinto last off season. She started 2022 strong with a revenge goal against Gotham, but ended up playing back as a defensive midfielder for NC's late season run. With the loss of Debinha, Pinto may be looking to step up as a creator in the Courage's attack.
Emily Fox While her versatility of playing either on the right or left flanks seems to have secured her a place on the USWNT, Fox hasn't had as much success in her two years at the club level, and seemed to want out of Louisville pretty bad. She joins a team in a period of transition, but could really shine as a provider to a front line with a lot of goal scoring potential.
Olivia Wingate As the Courage's unexpected first draft pick (6th overall), Wingate may feel the pressure to validate her early draft selection. She scored the Courage's lone goal against the Rayadas, zipping in on loose ball after a determined Kerolin attack.
Out for the season Thankfully none so far. Tess Boade is recovering from a leg injury from her A-League loan, but is training with the team.
2023 PREVIEW
As noted above, this is a young squad with a few vets, the product of two "half-rebuilds" across two off seasons. There is a lot of future potential in this roster, and the big question is the rate the talent and rapport of the players develops.
The preseason friendly against the Rayadas de Monterrey (as of this post with a perfect 9-0-0 record, GF:28, GA:1 in Clausura 2023) has given the only real look at what 2023 may hold for the Courage (Youtube replay here). The Courage again looked susceptible to heavy pressing and poor defensive turnovers similar to stretches of their 2022 season.
Realistic Best Case Scenario Despite losing several stars, the 2023 roster has enough aggregate quality and potential depth to make the playoffs, if coached and used effectively. The Shield is unlikely given several very stacked teams in the league. Ideally, with a much more balanced roster than last season, and if the younger players develop well, the Courage should be able to have enough squad rotation to perhaps have fresher legs than many teams into the final stretch of the season. If lessons from the previous season are learned, blending some quick transition and ability to physically win challenges for the ball will be integrated into a less purist vision of possession based play.
Realistic Worst Case Scenario Finishing bottom of table is a definite possibility, even without injuries. If the coaching strategy does revert to the purist possession and build from the back like much of 2022, other teams can just brush off their tried and true pressure tactics from last season to force defensive half turnovers. Lacking offensive firepower of Debinha and Ordóñez, the Courage may not be able to out score all the goals they allow. Nahas may also revert to only late subs and playing players out of position, other chronic issues from the previous season.
Realistic Most Probable Scenario Although the path will likely be very different than last season, sitting on the playoff bubble would be a safe bet. The team will take time to fully integrate the many new players, and the large number of players with just a few years pro experience will develop at a modest pace, but enough points will be dropped during this process to narrowly miss the playoff line.
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NC Courage links: twitter, web, instagram, wikipedia
St Paddy's Day Edition of the 2023 Kickoff Countdown
Head Coach: Sean Nahas A longtime youth coach, Nahas was head of the NCFC Academy and assistant coach to the Courage, and became interim head coach mid-2021 (see History below). After players advocated for the 'interim' to be dropped, be became the head coach starting with the 2022 season. He seems to prefer a very possession based style of play, though before the preseason friendly against Rayadas de Monterrey, Nahas said the Rayadas played a similar style of soccer he wants to see from the Courage.
Team Staff Page (currently missing recent hire Fabrice Gautrat)
Technical Director: Kurt Johnson (NCFC Chief Soccer Officer) Due to league sanctions, NCFC is required to hire Courage specific staff (eg a General Manager) separate from its men's USL team. Word has it for the past few years Bobby Hammond, currently listed as SVP Ops & Assistant Courage GM (scroll down to "Operations") has been handled most of the tasks of a GM. An internal promotion would seem a likely course, but given no such news so far hints the club may be looking for an outside hire. (speculation: may also be required/strongly suggested by league)
Captain: Denise O'Sullivan A Courage OG, the gritty and tough Irish WNT defensive midfielder was given the armband this offseason, becoming the second ever team captain. O'Sullivan was voted team MVP in both 2018 and 2019, the Courage's championship years.
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, NC (twitter, wp) At only 10k seating, the stadium now has the smallest capacity in the league. It also serves as the Courage's training facility, with a number of practice fields scenically surrounded by trees and running paths. Cary and WakeMed Soccer Park are in the running for US Soccer's future HQ and training facility.
Ownership: Steve Malik (principal), Naomi Osaka, full ownership page
Mascot: Roary
Kits: * Primary "Sunset" (reveal, closeups, worn by Naomi Osaka) * Secondary
Supporters Group: The Uproar (web, twitter)
Subreddit: nccourage
News and Commentary:
WRAL Sportsfan - mostly edited versions of official match reports, occasionally some stories. Owned by Capital Broadcasting, which has a stake in NCFC.
Courage Country (web, twitter) - fan run, rehashes official news, but has independent interviews with players as well.
Lewis Gettier Sports (instagram) takes great photos of the team both at practice and games, which are often used by the team and the Equalizer.
Equalizer podcast host Arianna Cascone works in the area, and possibly will be their default Courage correspondent.
Key Twitter Follows for Team Insights:
Currently, no one really regularly comments on the Courage, but occasionally from previous correspondents: Neil Morris - covered the Courage pre-Covid
Nicholas Schnittker - covered the Courage the past few years as a journalism student before graduating last year
2023 Season & Home Opener: Saturday, March 25th, Kansas City Current
Full Schedule
- NWSL Championship: 2018, 2019
- NWSL Shield: Supporters’ Shield: 2017, 2018, 2019
- NWSL Challenge Cup: 2022
The Courage were heavily favored to repeat yet again in 2020, but then covid struct, a prelude to a time of turmoil for the team and league as a whole. In September 2021, the Athletic published a story revealing sexual abuse by NC's head coach when he was at Portland and previous teams. He was fired and Nahas appointed interim. The team struggled for the rest of the season.
Although written to a more general audience, this article from June 2022 is a great in depth piece on many of the club's struggles in the past few years. The joint league and NWSLPA report[content warning], released Decemeber 2022, revealed the former coach had attempted to groom a Courage player.
A second rollercoaster season, on and off the field.
The 2021-22 offseason was dominated by high profile departures, precipitated by the revelations about the original head coach. The club decided to honor requests of players who wanted to move on, trading away stars Sam Mewis, Lynn Williams, Abby Dahlkemper, Jess McDonald, and a few other players. In return the Courage got draft picks and money, which were effectively used to acquire players like Brianna Pinto, a former academy player, and had a generally well regarded draft night.
The sense of renewal was short lived, as the day after the '22 draft, NC re-signed, after a year of retirement, Jaelene Daniels. Though claiming that hard discussions and other steps had been taken, she again refused to play during the team's Pride Night game. The decision was more perplexing since the Courage had an excellent left back in Carson Pickett, and Daniels was played out of position several times as a forward, to little effect.
On the field, the Courage started off strong winning the Challenge Cup, a 'preseason' mini-tournament in '22. However, the team spent most of the regular season at the bottom of the table (weeks 3 thru 14). Partly due to fewer games played, but game results were also falling short. Despite one of the best offenses (2nd most goals), defense was a problem (tied for 4th most goals allowed). Indeed, the Courage were the worst team in giving up leads, and second worst in coming back from behind. While still playing in its (in)famous midfield box formation, the focus on a pure possession, build from the back strategy was vulnerable to every team that could pressure the defense. An addition issue was a poorly balanced roster often leading to using players out of their natural positions.
Fortunes changed in the last third of the season. Draftee Diana Ordóñez went on a streak that broke the rookie scoring record. Late addition central midfielder Fuka Nagano, plus a tweak to the midfield structure, shored up the leaky defense. After Ordóñez suffered a shoulder injury, Debinha went on her own tear, challenging for the golden boot. However, in the end, the Courage fell 1 pt short of making the playoffs. If any improvement had been made in the first two thirds of the season, the team could of taken its hot momentum and form into the playoffs.
Players Out
- Debinha, 31, M, Kansas City - free agency
- Diana Ordóñez, 21, F, Houston Dash - traded: "expressed interest in playing closer to home"
- Fuka Nagano, 23, M, signed with Liverpool (ENG)
- Abby Erceg, 33, CB, Racing Louisville, unexpected trade with Picket for Emily Fox
- Carson Pickett, 29, LB, Racining Louisville, above trade
- Merrit Mathias, 32, RB, Angel City, trade for Lussi
- Havana Solaun,30, M, contract buyout, likely so she could focus on knee rehab
- Katie Bowen, 28, D, mutual contract termination to sign with Melbourne City (AUS)
- Rylee Baisden, 28, F, mutual contract termination to sign with Perth Glory (AUS)
- Jaelene Daniels, 29, LB, team declined option
- Emily Fox, 22, LB/RB, Racing Louisville, see trade for Erceg & Pickett above, versatile and fast FB for USWNT
- Mille Gejl Jensen, 23, F, Hacken (SWE), international signing, potential scoring machine
- Narumi Miura, 25, M, Tokyo Verdy Beleza (JPN), international transfer, dynamic upcoming midfielder for Japanese WNT
- Estelle Johnson, 34, CB, Gotham, free agency, veteran CB and "Slide Tackle Queen"
- Tyler Lussi, 28, F, Angel City, see trade for Mathias above, "No Sleeves Lussi"
- Draftees (now signed):
- Olivia Wingate, F, Notre Dame
- Clara Robbins, M, Florida State
- Sydney Collins, CB, UC Berkley
- Haley Hopkins, F, Virginia
Preseason Roster: Feb 3, Mar 7 update added Hope Breslin, formerly Angel City, as an NRI
Goalkeepers (3): Marisa Bova, Casey Murphy, Katelyn Rowland
Defenders (10): Malia Berkely, Sarah Clark (NRI), Sydney Collins (DRAFT), Estelle Johnson, Emily Fox, Kaleigh Kurtz, Kiki Pickett, Nikia Smith (NRI), Croix Soto (NRI), Ryan Williams.
Midfielders (9): Elianna Beard (NRI), Hope Breslin (NRI), Jennifer Cudjoe (NRI), Emily Gray,Denise O’Sullivan, Brianna Pinto, Clara Robbins (DRAFT), Meredith Speck, Frankie Tagliaferri.
Forwards (9): Tess Boade, Millie Farrow (INT), Mille Gejl Jensen (INT), Haley Hopkins (DRAFT), Tyler Lussi, Rikke Madsen (INT), Kerolin Nicoli (INT), Brittany Ratcliffe, Olivia Wingate (DRAFT).
Predicted Preferred Gameday XI
Formation: probably 4-3-3
| _______ | _______ | _______ | _______ | _______ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gejl | ||||
| Madsen | Kerolin | |||
| Miura | Pinto | |||
| O'Sullivan | ||||
| Fox | Johnson | Kurtz | Williams | |
| Murphy |
Likely Top Bench/Subs: Meredith Speck, Tyler Lussi, Kiki Pickett, Emily Gray, Brittany Ratcliffe, Malia Berkely, Clara Robbins, Katelyn Rowland
Possible Formation during World Cup/Challenge Cup
| _______ | _______ | _______ | _______ | _______ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ratcliffe/Wingate | ||||
| Hopkins | Lussi | |||
| Robbins/Gray | Pinto | |||
| Berkely | ||||
| Pickett | Johnson | Kurtz | Williams | |
| Rowland |
The Vets (only 7 players remain from 2021 roster) Denise O'Sullivan, Casey Murphy, Meredith Speck, Kaleigh Kurtz, Ryan Williams, Katelyn Rowland, Brittany Ratcliffe
Something to Prove The Whole Team With the high turnover, 10 new players in 2022 and 9 so far in 2023, few observers are likely expecting much out of the team. The Courage also has one of, if not the youngest, average age rosters. With a low expectations narrative, the players may have a chip on their shoulders to prove the doubters wrong and go Courage vs World mode.
Brianna Pinto Declaring a year early, Pinto seemed set to play a major role in Gotham's 2021 renewal, until head coach Freya Coombe left for LA. Sidelined by the new NJ/NY coaches, the Courage paid $100k to get Pinto last off season. She started 2022 strong with a revenge goal against Gotham, but ended up playing back as a defensive midfielder for NC's late season run. With the loss of Debinha, Pinto may be looking to step up as a creator in the Courage's attack.
Emily Fox While her versatility of playing either on the right or left flanks seems to have secured her a place on the USWNT, Fox hasn't had as much success in her two years at the club level, and seemed to want out of Louisville pretty bad. She joins a team in a period of transition, but could really shine as a provider to a front line with a lot of goal scoring potential.
Olivia Wingate As the Courage's unexpected first draft pick (6th overall), Wingate may feel the pressure to validate her early draft selection. She scored the Courage's lone goal against the Rayadas, zipping in on loose ball after a determined Kerolin attack.
Out for the season Thankfully none so far. Tess Boade is recovering from a leg injury from her A-League loan, but is training with the team.
As noted above, this is a young squad with a few vets, the product of two "half-rebuilds" across two off seasons. There is a lot of future potential in this roster, and the big question is the rate the talent and rapport of the players develops.
The preseason friendly against the Rayadas de Monterrey (as of this post with a perfect 9-0-0 record, GF:28, GA:1 in Clausura 2023) has given the only real look at what 2023 may hold for the Courage (Youtube replay here). The Courage again looked susceptible to heavy pressing and poor defensive turnovers similar to stretches of their 2022 season.
Realistic Best Case Scenario Despite losing several stars, the 2023 roster has enough aggregate quality and potential depth to make the playoffs, if coached and used effectively. The Shield is unlikely given several very stacked teams in the league. Ideally, with a much more balanced roster than last season, and if the younger players develop well, the Courage should be able to have enough squad rotation to perhaps have fresher legs than many teams into the final stretch of the season. If lessons from the previous season are learned, blending some quick transition and ability to physically win challenges for the ball will be integrated into a less purist vision of possession based play.
Realistic Worst Case Scenario Finishing bottom of table is a definite possibility, even without injuries. If the coaching strategy does revert to the purist possession and build from the back like much of 2022, other teams can just brush off their tried and true pressure tactics from last season to force defensive half turnovers. Lacking offensive firepower of Debinha and Ordóñez, the Courage may not be able to out score all the goals they allow. Nahas may also revert to only late subs and playing players out of position, other chronic issues from the previous season.
Realistic Most Probable Scenario Although the path will likely be very different than last season, sitting on the playoff bubble would be a safe bet. The team will take time to fully integrate the many new players, and the large number of players with just a few years pro experience will develop at a modest pace, but enough points will be dropped during this process to narrowly miss the playoff line.