The North Carolina Courage have been the best team in the National Women’s Soccer League all three years that they have participated. After inheriting the Western New York Flash, the surprise winners of the 2016 NWSL Championship game, the Courage have built what feels like an unstoppable force. They have played 72 games, securing 48 wins and 11 draws while suffering just 13 losses. No other team in the league has scored more points (155) than the Courage since 2017.
But that doesn’t mean the Courage are infallible. They lost the 2017 Championship match against Portland Thorns FC after losing Debinha in the semifinal and Taylor Smith and Kristen Hamilton in the final.