First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina (101 Soccer Park Dr., Cary, NC 27511).
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 PM EDT (5:00 PM PT).
The match is part of the NWSL regular season and is expected to air on CBSSN.
Venue and Weather Forecast
WakeMed Soccer Park (also referred to as First Horizon Stadium) is the Courage’s dedicated soccer venue. Current forecasts for Cary on August 26 call for mostly sunny to partly cloudy conditions, with highs around 86–90°F (30–32°C) during the day and temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s°F around kickoff, cooling into the upper 60s/low 70s overnight. Winds are light (around 3–10 mph from the SSE/S). Precipitation chances are low for the evening (mostly dry or only a slight chance of isolated activity). Conditions should be warm and suitable for play with minimal weather disruption.
Current Records and Recent Form
North Carolina Courage: Strong overall standing with a positive goal differential. Recent form includes a 2-1 home win over Boston Legacy (Aug 22), a 2-3 home loss to Houston Dash (Aug 16), a 4-3 away win at Washington Spirit (Aug 8), a 2-0 away win at Denver Summit (Aug 5/6), and a 5-0 home win over Orlando Pride (late July/early Aug). They have been productive offensively (around 1.8 goals per game).
Angel City FC: Sitting mid-to-lower table with a solid goal difference but struggling for wins lately. They enter on a four-draw streak: 0-0 vs. Gotham FC (Aug 23), 1-1 vs. Washington Spirit (Aug 16), 2-2 at Seattle Reign (Aug 9), and 1-1 at Kansas City Current (Aug 1), following a 1-2 home loss to Racing Louisville. They have been hard to beat but are drawing frequently.
Series History / Head-to-Head
These sides have produced competitive, often high-scoring matches. In the 2026 season meeting (May 31 at BMO Stadium), North Carolina won 2-1 (goals from Evelyn Ijeh and Manaka Matsukubo; Maiara Niehues replied for Angel City). Recent history shows a fairly even split with several 2-1 or similar results favoring the Courage in some prior encounters, though Angel City has taken points at times. Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals have been common themes in their meetings.
Injury / Availability Reports
Angel City FC
OUT — Jun Endo (SEI – knee), Hina Sugita (SEI – knee), Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir (ankle; note some scoring lists still reference her earlier contributions), Maiara Niehues (lower leg; also faced a recent suspension extension related to a red card), Hannah Seabert (hand). Other longer-term or previous issues have included players like Savy King in earlier windows. Key available attackers/midfielders include players such as Gisele Thompson, Emily Sams, Sarah Gorden, Ary Borges, Evelyn Shores, Angelina Anderson (GK), and others from the active roster.
North Carolina Courage:
OUT — Payton Crawford (knee – SEI), Sydney Schmidt (knee – SEI). Recent reports have been relatively clean otherwise for key contributors. Ashley Sanchez, Evelyn Ijeh, Kailen Sheridan (GK), Ryan Williams, Shinomi Koyama, Riley Jackson, and others are expected available. Note that Manaka Matsukubo had earlier contributions but transferred out mid-season.
Current Player Rosters
North Carolina Courage (approximate active/core from 2026 listings):
GK — Kailen Sheridan, Madison White, Molly Pritchard.
Defenders — Ryan Williams, Natalie Jacobs, Natalia (Talia) Staude, Maycee Bell, Felicitas Rauch, Uno Shiragaki, Cameron Brooks, Ivy Younce, others.
Midfielders — Ashley Sanchez, Shinomi Koyama, Riley Jackson, Dani Weatherholt, Carly Wickenheiser, Vilde Bøe Risa, Erica Parkinson, Oli Peña.
Forwards — Evelyn Ijeh, Ally Schlegel, Chioma Okafor, Lauryn Thompson, Hannah Betfort, Olivia Wingate, Cortnee Vine, Payton Linnehan (limited by injury status).
Angel City FC (approximate active/core as of mid-to-late August listings):
GK — Angelina Anderson (primary), Faith Nguyen, Hannah Seabert, Meagan McClelland.
Defenders — Emily Sams, Sarah Gorden (captain), Gisele Thompson, Evelyn Shores, Savy King, Karsyn Cherry, Sophia Mattice.
Midfielders — Ary Borges, Maiara Niehues (availability limited), Carina Lageyre, Nealy Martin, Ally Sentnor, Taylor Suarez, others.
Forwards — Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir (availability limited), Riley Tiernan, Prisca Chilufya, Claire Emslie, Jun Endo (SEI), Sydney Leroux, others. Note Casey Phair transferred out earlier.
Key Player Matchups
Ashley Sanchez (NC, leading scorer with ~13 goals) vs. Angel City’s defensive midfield/back line (Emily Sams, Sarah Gorden, Ary Borges): Sanchez is in strong form and a primary creative/finishing threat; containing her movement and shooting will be critical for Angel City.
Evelyn Ijeh (NC, ~10 goals) vs. Gisele Thompson / full-back pairings: Ijeh’s pace and finishing test Angel City’s wide and central defending.
Angel City attackers (when available: Thompson contributions, Sentnor, Tiernan, Borges creativity) vs. NC’s back line (Williams, Staude, Rauch, Sheridan in goal): Angel City has shown resilience in draws and will look to counter or exploit set pieces against a high-output Courage attack.
Goalkeeper battle: Kailen Sheridan (experienced, solid save percentage in stretches) vs. Angelina Anderson (high volume of saves this season).
Supporting creators like Shinomi Koyama (assists) and Riley Jackson for NC, and midfield control from Borges/Shores for Angel City, will influence possession battles (both teams hover near 50% possession season averages).
Betting Trends
Trends: NC has been more consistent winners recently and stronger at home in stretches; Angel City’s draw streak suggests value in draw or underdog double-chance markets, or lower-scoring scenarios if defenses tighten. High-event games are common when these sides meet.
MATCH ODDS
Angel City FC – 230
North Carolina Courage – 105
Draw + 270
Over 2.5 – 155 Under 2.5 + 110
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Tuesday, August 25, 2026
