This offseason has been busy for the North Carolina Courage. From multiple blockbuster trades to a big draft class, Sean Nahas’ first full season at the helm is shaping up to look very different from any of the previous seasons.

Here is a complete breakdown of the Courage’s offseason moves and what they might mean heading into the rapidly approaching preseason.

Trades

If you’re a long-time fan of the Courage, you might want to avert your eyes or skip the next two paragraphs.

Since the end of the 2021 season, the Courage have traded away Sam Mewis, Lynn Williams, Jessica McDonald, Abby Dahlkemper, Cari Roccaro, Angharad James and the NWSL rights to 2021 first-round draft pick Deanne Rose.

And that’s not including the mid-season trade that saw Kristen Hamilton, Hailie Mace and Katelyn Rowland, the latest of which returned to NC in the Williams trade, all head to the Kansas City Current. 

The major roster shake-up really shouldn’t be much of a surprise. The Courage underwent an impossibly difficult 2021 season, both on and off the field, and some players might be looking for a fresh start.

That certainly seems to be the case for McDonald and Williams. In a statement regarding her trade, McDonald said, “This trade was a decision that I had made for my son and myself.” Courage President and general manager Curt Johnson said “We understood her desire to continue to pursue new challenges and we honored her decision to make that transition in her career,” in Williams’ trade announcement. 

On the flip side, the trades gave the Courage multiple high-end draft picks, a few very exciting young players and a lot of allocation money.

In total, the Courage acquired picks No. 3, No. 6, No. 12 and No. 29 in the 2022 draft, two 2023 first-round picks, NWSL Rookie of the Year candidate Kiki Pickett, Brianna Pinto, the discovery rights to Malia Berkely, Rowland, and a lot of allocation money.

The Courage did use allocation money and draft picks of its own in those deals as well, but players were the major part of the Courage’s end of most of those deals.

The trades indicate a clear change of doctrine for the Courage. Previously, the club brokered a lot of win-now trades, while this offseason shows the clear start of a rebuild, even if Nahas prefers the term evolution.

Club captain Abby Erceg took to Twitter in response to a fan speculating that she could be the next player traded saying, “The very lopsided trades are as confusing to players as they are for the fans, but in other news, I will not be leaving the Courage.”

Denise O’Sullivan, one of the core players still remaining from the Courage’s championship-winning teams also took to Twitter to reassure fans after the Williams trade.

Allocation money

Allocation money has been one of the Courage’s main means of player acquisition this offseason, using it in a trade with NJ/NY Gotham FC to bring former UNC Tar Heel and Courage Academy player Brianna Pinto back to the Old North State.

The club also used undisclosed amounts to get two players out of contracts with European clubs, signing former FSU Seminole Berkely out of France after acquiring her rights in a trade and securing Brazilian international Kerolin out of Spain.

The latter comes as the clear replacement for Williams, with the club announcing the forward’s signing just hours after the Williams trade.

“The addition of Kerolin is one we are really excited about,” Nahas said in a statement. “She is a dynamic player who is extremely dangerous in the final third. She is a technically proficient player who will add a lot to our attacking side of the game. Her recent rise on the international stage, both for national team and club, was something that caught the club’s attention. Having the chance to add her to our roster is something we are looking forward to.”

At 22 years old, Kerolin, who signed a three-year contract, should be an incredibly fun player to watch, especially as she links up with international teammate Debinha.

All three moves align with the Courage’s goal of getting younger and building for the future.

With the amounts the club used on Berkely and Kerolin not being disclosed, there is no sure answer for how much allocation money the club has left, but it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that there is still a chunk of change remaining after those deals. 

2022 NWSL Draft

The signing of Kerolin certainly takes care of some of the club’s goal-scoring needs, but it also did well to address that at the draft by adding some very promising attacking talent.

North Carolina did use one of its first-round picks on a forward, selecting Diana Ordoñez with the sixth pick, and she certainly has plenty of goal-scoring ability, but the former Virginia Cavalier will need to adjust to the professional game quickly if Nahas opts to start her right away.

The team also added some attacking midfield talent in No. 3 overall pick Emily Gray and third-round pick Haleigh Stackpole, a former Courage Academy player who Nahas will be very familiar with, and depending on what formation Nahas ends up going with, either could possibly play a role in the front line.

The Courage also picked up Kaitlin Fregulia, a center back out of Long Beach State University to add depth to the defense and goalkeeper Marisa Bova, who could be as far down as fourth on the potential depth chart following Rowland’s return to the club.

Controversial re-signing

While social media response isn’t an all-encompassing barometer of a decision, it is certainly one of the most visible ones; when the Courage announced the re-signing of Jaelen Daniels, formerly Hinkle, that social media response was very one-sided. So much so that the club had to issue a follow-up statement on the signing, which included an apology for any harm done, but did little to change the minds of a lot of fans on social media, some of whom have threatened to not renew their season tickets.

Daniels is undoubtedly talented, retiring after a successful, but controversial, career to start a family. 

Despite her on-field talent, the signing doesn’t make a ton of sense from a soccer standpoint. The Courage re-signed Carson Pickett, a 2021 Defender of the Year candidate in the same position as Daniels, to a two-year deal early in the offseason.

While Pickett did show that she can play center back if needed, and is very good defensively, her attacking ability is one of her best assets. With a player of that quality, who offers a very similar skill set to Daniels, already in that position and locked down to a long-term deal, why risk the backlash?

The Daniels re-signing clearly alienated members of the fan base and with a very talented player in that position already, the main question for the front office has to be if the controversy was worth it?

Waiver wire

The Courage also went to the waiver wire this offseason, adding some solid forward depth in Jorian Baucom and midfield depth in Jordyn Listro.

“Once we saw that Jorian and Jordyn were available, we knew that adding them would help in building positional depth and experience for our roster,” Nahas said in a statement. “After speaking with them both, we are excited to add them to the locker room. We look forward to welcoming them to North Carolina and helping them grow in their playing journey.”

What’s next?

Players report to their clubs for the NWSL preseason on Feb. 1 and with so many fresh faces, that is good news for the Courage, but there is a chance the club isn’t done making deals.

With some allocation money possibly remaining and some positions overloaded with talent, the Courage roster might still look a little different by the time the regular season, or even Challenge Cup, rolls around.

Even if more deals aren’t done, it is already certain that the 2022 squad will look very different than year’s past; that is not necessarily a bad thing. Rebuilds are necessary and the Courage are firmly in the middle of one.