North Carolina Courage’s promising start falls short of the NWSL playoffs again

The North Carolina Courage entered last Sunday's Decision Day against the Denver Summit knowing their postseason hopes were hanging by a thread. They needed a victory and for the Seattle Reign to drop points against the Orlando Pride to make it into the playoffs.

Despite a 1-0 win against the Summit, the Courage did not get the support they needed from Seattle to advance.

It was a disappointing end for a Courage team that had found its form this season, especially in the attack with 52 goals.

Forward Ashley Sanchez scored more than a third of those (20) in her renaissance year. The 27-year-old took home the regular season Golden Boot, but ended one goal shy of breaking Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga's single-season record set in 2024.

Sanchez broke the American scoring record of 15 goals, shared by Alex Morgan and Crystal Dunn, and established a new Courage single-season scoring record.

North Carolina finished one place outside of the postseason with a 14-13-3 record and 45 points. For a team that once made postseason appearances a habit, missing the playoffs for a second consecutive year represents a disappointing chapter in its history.

The Courage, who won back-to-back NWSL Championships in 2018 and 2019 and consistently qualified for the playoffs after relocating to North Carolina, entered the season hoping to reestablish themselves among the league's contenders.

Instead, they struggled to find the consistency needed to compete with the NWSL's top teams, spending much of the campaign fighting to stay within reach of the eight-team playoff field.

North Carolina entered the 2026 season looking to build on the identity that has defined the club for much of its history: a possession-oriented approach built around technical midfield play, patient buildup and an emphasis on controlling matches through the ball.

The arrival of head coach Mak Lind in January marked a new chapter for the organization following the departure of Sean Nahas the previous summer. Lind arrived from Swedish club BK Häcken, where he had guided the women's team to the 2025 league title, bringing a reputation for developing players.

He introduced North Carolina to a more aggressive approach in the final third but early results were mixed. The Courage opened the season with a 2-1 victory over Racing Louisville, with Sanchez scoring both goals. A goalless draw against Gotham FC followed before North Carolina suffered a 3-1 defeat to Bay FC.

By May, the Courage had begun to show signs of progress. A 4-0 victory over Chicago Stars was followed by consecutive wins against Racing Louisville and Angel City. The team's most impressive stretch came during the summer when they won four of six matches in August, scoring at least twice in each game.

Lind was named NWSL Coach of the Month for August, while Sanchez and fellow forward Evelyn Ijeh established themselves as one of the league's most dangerous attacking partnerships. The Courage climbed as high as fifth in the standings, but perhaps the most remarkable transformation belonged to Sanchez.

Three seasons ago, Sanchez was one of the most promising young players in American women's soccer. After helping the Washington Spirit win the 2021 NWSL Championship, she became a regular presence in the U.S. women's national team and earned a place on the roster for the 2023 Women's World Cup.

Despite the momentum, she did not play a minute in the tournament and her international career stalled. Her trade to North Carolina in 2024 did not make things easier for her. She led the Courage in goals and assists during her first season, but struggled to maintain that momentum in 2025, scoring just twice in 23 appearances.

This year, Lind moved Sanchez to the left wing, giving her greater freedom. The results were immediate. By September, she was head-to-head with Chawinga with 17 goals thanks to a hat-trick performance against the Chicago Stars FC. Her performance also earned her a return to the USWNT.

In October, she scored against Spain in a 2-2 draw, her first international goal since 2022.

Ultimately, the Courage's inability to be consistent and turn performances into points cost them their playoff berth.

For much of the season, North Carolina demonstrated that it possessed a collective attacking talent to compete with the league's top teams. They scored 52 goals, but those attacking achievements were undermined by inconsistent results and defensive errors.

North Carolina conceded 42 goals across 30 matches, and its inability to protect leads proved particularly damaging. The Courage won just two of their final seven matches, leaving themselves dependent on Seattle's result heading into Decision Day.

In a league where the difference between qualifying for the playoffs and missing out can be decided by a handful of results, North Carolina found itself chasing teams that had managed to accumulate points more consistently throughout the season.

The expansion of the NWSL has also made the playoff race increasingly unforgiving. With 16 clubs competing for eight postseason positions, half the league is guaranteed to miss the playoffs, regardless of its history, investment or ambitions.

North Carolina's immediate priority should be to evaluate their roster. The main question facing the organization is whether North Carolina's approach to roster construction has kept pace with the evolution of the league.

The NWSL has experienced significant growth in investment, with expansion fees reaching $205 million for the Columbus franchise set to join in 2028. Clubs are increasingly competing not only on the field but also through their spending on players, training facilities and other resources. That changing financial landscape presents a challenge for an established club like the Courage.

In 2025, the club received a $40 million investment from Marc Lasry's Avenue Capital, but in today's NWSL ecosystem, that is a drop in the bucket. The team's lease in Cary runs through 2027, and ownership is pushing for a larger venue, targeting a minimum of 15,000 seats. They also have to evaluate whether building a proper training facility will help with their player retention issues.

Missing the playoffs does not erase the club's championship history. But in a league that continues to grow more competitive and expensive, a successful past offers only so much.