Multiple North Carolina Courage stars shined for their national teams during the April window, including milestone performances for both Denise O’Sullivan and Manaka Matsukubo.
Manaka Matsukubo, Japan
After being a substitute in the first match of the window, Manaka Matsukubo earned the start in Japan’s 6-1 win over Colombia in a training match early Tuesday morning. The Courage’s young star made the most of the opportunity, scoring and assisting while earning a match-high 8.8 player rating from SofaScore. With the second match against Colombia being a training match, it will not count toward Manaka's official cap and goal totals.
In addition to her goal and assist, Manaka won 10 duels, completed three dribbles, and made three key passes.
Manaka impressed during Japan’s second-place U-20 World Cup campaign in 2024, earning the Silver Ball as the tournament’s second-best player. With four caps to her name so far this year, Manaka is translating that performance to the senior level.
Denise O’Sullivan, Ireland
Courage captain Denise O’Sullivan wore the armband for Ireland in both wins over Greece during the window, helping Ireland improve to 3-1-0 in Group B play of the UEFA Women’s Nations League.
The first match, a 4-0 win in Greece, marked O’Sullivan’s 122nd cap for the team, making her the second-most-capped player in the country’s history. She celebrated that milestone appearance with an assist and a well-rounded 90’ performance.
O’Sullivan played the full 90’ in the second match as well, making one key pass and winning five tackles in the 2-1 win.
Jaedyn Shaw, United States
Jaedyn Shaw appeared off the bench for the United States in both matches against Brazil, entering in the 84’ in the first match and starting the second half in the next.
Other international news:
Riley Jackson was called in for the U.S. U-23 camp during the window. While the team didn’t play any games, it was another important step in Jackson’s establishing herself as part of the expanded player pool USWNT Head Coach Emma Hayes has outlined for the program.
Feli Rauch was noted as on-call for Germany, but the Courage left back did not make the jump to the full roster during the window.
