NWSL Challenge Cup 2022 Final : How North Carolina Courage dominated Washington Spirit using counterattacks – tactical analysis

North Carolina Courage hosted Washington Spirit on May 7, 2022 for the final of the NWSL Challenge Cup 2022 and at the end, North Carolina Courage were able to lift the trophy after winning 2-1 in an exciting game. In fact, this win came after a long and successful journey for North Carolina Courage who finished at the top of Group A in the group stage phase while not losing a single match. Then, they faced Kansas City in the semi-finals and excluded them with a 1-2 final score to reach the final and win the trophy. North Carolina Courage have shown during this pre-NWSL tournament that they are fully ready to compete seriously for the NWSL title and lifting this trophy confirms this idea to everyone and gives extra confidence to the players ahead of the start of the competition.

When it comes to Washington Spirit, the team did their best throughout the NWSL Challenge Cup but at the end, their performances were not sufficient to beat North Carolina Courage. In reality, Washington Spirit were able to stop North Carolina Courage during the group stage phase as they drew 2-2 twice. Washington Spirit finished second of the group and excluded OL Reign thanks to penalties in the semi-finals. The team proved their worth by reaching the final and battling until the end for the trophy and this will be important for them to be able to identify the mistakes that prevented them from actually doing it and work on improving their weaknesses. At the same time, the team’s experience and chemistry that was gained from their participation in this tournament will be very useful during the NWSL as it will help the team be competitive since the beginning and avoid losing points easily.

In this tactical analysis article, we will look at both teams’ performances in an attempt to break down North Carolina Courage’s attacking tactics and identify the reasons that led to Washington Spirit’s defeat.

Line-ups

North Carolina Courage started this match according to the 4-2-3-1 formation using Katelyn Rowland as a goalkeeper, Merritt Mathias, Kaleigh Kurtz, Abby Erceg and Carson Pickett in defence, Malia Berkely, Denise OSullivan as central midfielders, Emily Rose Gray and Diana Ordóñez on the wings with Debinha playing as an advanced playmaker behind the striker, Kerolin.

On the other side, Washington Spirit opted for the 4-2-3-1 formation relying on Aubrey Bledsoe as a goalkeeper, Kelley OHara, Emily Sonnett, Sam Staab and Julia Roddar in defence, Taylor Aylmer and Dorian Bailey as central midfielders, Trinity Rodman and Anna Heilferty on the wings and Ashley Sanchez as an advanced playmaker in support of the striker, Ashley Hatch.

North Carolina Courage’s attacking performance

North Carolina Courage started the match with the right mentality by getting hold of the ball with confidence and continuity while attempting to reach the final third regularly. They were able to threaten Bledsoe’s goal with a shot from Gray at the 7^th minute after penetrating from the right wing. Soon after, Debinha, who was at the center of North Carolina Courage’s attacks, collected a ball in defence and started a counter-attack by herself as she feinted past her marker and ran until she was close to the final third. At the same time, she was intelligent enough to notice Kerolin’s movement at the back of Washington Spirit’s advanced defence and pick the adequate timing for her through pass in order to avoid a possible offside situation. Kerolin’s technique was crucial in this action as well since the Brazilian striker slowed her pace down when she reached the edge of the box, fixed her opponents and the goalkeeper before shooting towards the desired left angle and scored the first goal of the match.