The North Carolina Courage began its preseason this week with the majority of the roster reporting to the team’s camp Feb. 1.

For the first time, the Courage’s core has seen some major changes ahead of the season, with long-serving players like Sam Mewis (signed with Manchester City), Abby Dahlkemper (signed with Manchester City), Jaelene Daniels (retired) and Crystal Dunn (traded), some of whom have been with the team since its time as the Western New York Flash, all departing during 2020 and 2021. 

With so much roster turnover, head coach Paul Riley says the team is in “the mode of rebuild” now, and this year will be a challenge, but one his team is ready and excited for.

“There are opportunities for players, which, maybe in the past, there hasn’t been opportunities,” Riley said. “Maybe that is the reason people are a little fitter than they were in the last couple of years. They know they have an opportunity here to play.”

The club has made a number of big signings this offseason, and according to Riley, the team is not done making acquisitions. Riley said during a Feb. 2 press conference that an additional international player has already agreed to terms with the club, and the signing should be announced soon. Riley also said the team is in search of another international spot; however, a player would not be coming in for that spot until June or July, so they are not in a rush to find it.

Although the Courage’s preseason roster currently lists five players as occupying international spots, Riley said New Zealand center back Abby Erceg will not take up an international spot this season. Erceg spoke during the team’s 2020 preseason, before the sports world was put on hold, about the process of applying for her green card, which qualifies her as a domestic player.

In addition to the unannounced player, the Courage has brought in defender Taylor Smith, who previously played for the club as recently as 2018; Irish defender Diane Caldwell; Ghana women’s national team captain forward Elizabeth Addo; and goalkeeper Casey Murphy, who was acquired in the deal that saw Dunn leave the Courage.

“North Carolina is seen as one of the top teams in the league,” Murphy said. “I was excited to be a part of this club because we are the team that has the target on our back. I love that pressure, that everyone is going to bring their best against us.”

The Courage also picked up three players at the 2021 NWSL College Draft, but only Deanne Rose (Florida) is expected to join the Courage this season, with the other two — Alyssa Malonson (Auburn) and Myra Conte (Vanderbilt) — set to continue their college careers in the fall before officially joining the team for 2022. Rose will stay with Florida for the spring NCAA season before joining the Courage.

Competitive action for the Courage should begin in April, with the start of the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup set to begin April 9. The tournament has been approved by the league’s medical taskforce to be played in home markets this year. 

The 24-game regular season is scheduled to begin May 15 and wrap up Oct. 30. There will not be a break for the 2021 Olympic Games. The NWSL Championship will be played on Nov. 20. Full schedules for the Challenge Cup and regular season have not been released yet.

Both during the preseason camp and regular season, the Courage will be without certain players due to international duty. Four players, forward Lynn Williams (United States), Murphy (United States), Debinha (Brazil) and Rose (Canada), will be representing their countries in the 2021 SheBelieves Cup Feb. 18-24 in Orlando. 

With Murphy and Williams being called up to the national team for the SheBelieves Cup, both could easily make the U.S.’s Olympic roster. Debinha and Erceg are both locks to make the Brazil and New Zealand rosters, respectively. Canada has also qualified for the Olympics, so Rose could be further delayed in joining up with the Courage.

During the season, Riley expects to lose the above four players to the Olympics but said there is a possibility of more depending on performances early in the season with some players currently on the periphery of the USWNT and he would not be surprised to see some of them called up soon.

“Hailie Mace I think is going to get back to the national program, but she needs a year,” Riley said. “[Jessica McDonald] is still banging on the door. Jess has been in good form the last couple of days, so I think she has an opportunity depending on injuries for the national team… Merritt Mathias wants to go to the national team, and if she comes in and does well, who knows. Taylor Smith, again, who knows…” 

Although the Courage will lose some good players during this period of the season, it will be far less than other years due to recent departures like Dunn, Dahlkmper and Mewis, who are all USWNT regulars. 

“We will lose Abby Erceg, Debinha and they won’t go for a vast period of time,” Riley said. “I am sure New Zealand will be knocked out pretty quick. So Kiwi [Erceg] will be back pretty soon after that … We lost a lot more in the past years than we’re losing this year. So that is a little different for us too, knowing in those two or three weeks or that month, that we will be able to pick up maybe some more points than we have in past years. ” 

Riley wants all of his players striving to play for their national team.

“I told the players yesterday, every single player, ‘If you are in this room and you don’t want to play for your national team, I don’t want you in this room,’” Riley said. “I do not want you in this room because that is the challenge ahead of you, and that is what we want. We want growth in every player… Whether you are Canadian, Brazilian, American, you have to want to play on your national team. That is the No. 1 thing for me, and if you don’t, then this is the wrong place to come.”

With the season still roughly two months away, Riley has time to get his team to where it needs to be. The Courage has a rebuild in front of it, but the team is poised for a strong 2021 despite the big-name departures.

“We are going to have to improve if we are going to be a viable contender this year…,” Riley said. “We have been at the top for awhile now, and the air gets thinner at the top. Now it is an opportunity for us to keep on learning, keep on listening, keep on asking.”