The NC Courage put on a 5-0 masterclass against Orlando Pride, with Evelyn Ijeh's hat trick and a Parkinson-Thompson connection that had everyone buzzing. Trevor is joined by guest co-host Aaron this week.
A note from Trevor: He'll be out for the next few weeks on paternity leave. Katie will be back next week alongside Aaron. The newsletter will pause until mid-September, but the podcast will keep coming.
This week we're also joined by Aaron Rogoff. You can find him on Bluesky at @aaronrogoff.bluesky.social
Five goals and a performance that finally showed what this team can do. The new midfield trio of Riley Jackson, Shinomi Koyama, and Erica Meg Parkinson caused chaos for Orlando with their interchangeable roles and high work rate. Lauryn Thompson started and became the youngest regular-season goal scorer in club history. Natalie Jacobs returned to the back line and was outstanding. And the Courage created their own luck all night long. We break down all five goals and what this performance tells us about where this team is heading.
Evelyn Ijeh scored her hat trick in just her 15th regular season appearance, with only one player in the last decade reaching the milestone faster. The Courage had nine shots on target to Orlando's two. And fifteen interceptions to Orlando's six, with Natalie Jacobs accounting for five of them on her own. We dig into what the numbers say about a performance that was as dominant as the scoreline suggests.
Washington has 11 wins in their last 14 matches and is one point behind Gotham at the top of the table. Trevor and Aaron break down Sandy MacIver's outstanding season in goal, the Tara Rudd and Esme Morgan center back pairing, and why this match will be a very different challenge from the 5-0 performance against Orlando. Aaron shares what he wants most out of this match (it's not just a win).
Vilde Bøe Risa made her debut with a cameo against Orlando. The Courage partnered with Paragon Theatres for a Ted Lasso Season 4 premiere watch party.
The NWSL cuts ties with Victory Plus, with all affected matches moving to NWSL+. Jenna Niswonger trades to Bay FC. June Endo tears her ACL, and Emily Sonnett ruptures her patellar tendon, devastating news with the World Cup on the horizon. And FIFA's push to sell World Cup rights to private investors gets global pushback.
Welcome to The Lion’s Pitch, your go-to podcast for everything North Carolina Courage. Every week, Trevor and Katie break down the latest matches, preview upcoming opponents, discuss NC Courage news, and take a look around the NWSL. Plus, we’ll bring you bonus episodes with interviews, behind-the-scenes content, and some fun surprises along the way.
New episode drops every Thursday.
Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and find us online at lionspitch.com, follow us on Bluesky @lionspitch.bsky.social, or on Instagram @thelionspitch