CARY, N.C. (May 20, 2025) — North Carolina Courage forward Manaka Matsukubo was voted as the NWSL Player of the Week, presented by AT&T, for Week 9 of the NWSL season.

Manaka scored both of the Courage's goals in the 2-0 win against the Chicago Stars. In addition to her goals, Manaka created two chances, took five shots on target, and completed 84% of her passes.

The 20-year-old is the first Courage player to be named Player of the Week since Kerolin Nicoli in Week 11 of the 2023 season. Manaka is the 10th different Courage player to earn the weekly honor from the league and the honor is the 17th overall for the Courage.

Manaka has been with the Courage since July 2023, originally joining the club on loan before the move was made permanent in 2024. The young superstar made an immediate impact, scoring in the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup Final and being named the match's MVP.

Across 32 regular season appearances in a Courage jersey, Manaka has five goals and three assists.