- Home form: Denver have taken five points from their last three home games, scoring nine goals in six home games overall in NWSL 2026.
- Record: North Carolina Courage record (W3, D2, L2).
- Recent form: North Carolina's last five has included two wins and three defeats, so their form is up and down.
Denver have enough to push Courage
Standings:
Denver Summit FC are 11th in the NWSL 2026 with 19 points from 15 games, so they have ground to make up in the race for the play-offs while North Carolina are 7th with 24 points from 16 and they are hovering on the edge of the top six.
Tactics:
It could be a fascinating battle between two sides with slightly differing approaches as Nick Cushing's Denver press high and wide to force turnovers while his players overload the flanks to attack quickly and vertically with the ball. Mak Lind's Courage are more of a possession side who play with a bit more patience and rotate the ball a little more, although they will push the number 10 to get on the ball and they can also shift into a back five or a more compact 4-3-3.
Recent form:
The last five games of Denver's season have seen them take two wins, one draw and two defeats, so that's an erratic run, but they have enough bite to trouble their opponents here, having drawn 2-2 at home to Houston Dash, beaten Portland Thorns 2-1 at home and lost 1-0 away to Washington Spirit last time out.
Courage can still nick something
North Carolina come into this game off the back of a 1-4 home defeat to Utah Royals, but they came back with a 5-0 home win over Orlando Pride. It was either feast or famine for the Courage this past month and that's why they are only hovering around seventh place rather than cruising along in it.
- Denver are the 2.15 favorites here, but the 3.05 on Courage and 3.4 on the draw are better bets in the match outcome market as this looks like a close but potentially entertaining affair.
- The hosts can press North Carolina into mistakes, but the visitors are good enough to punish Denver's mistakes too.
- So, Denver to win and both teams to score looks the sharpest bet here, although if Courage get on top they could nick a point.
- Denver have scored nine times in six at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
- Janine Sonis has two goals in their last five, while North Carolina have Evelyn Ijeh cooking in front of goal with four of their nine goals in the last five coming from her.
- Over 2.5 goals at 1.67 looks a good bet here and BTTS at 1.55 is also recommended as North Carolina score 1.00 goals per game away from home and concede 1.14 on the road.
