NWSL Case Study: NC Courage’s use of full-backs
** All stats used in this article are from FBREF
Third centre-backs, overlapping full-backs, midfielders. The role of full-backs in football has evolved over the years. North Carolina Courage are using their full-backs in an interesting way. With league known for its high-tempo and transition-heavy style. Led by head coach Sean Nahas, the Courage adopt a more patient, possession-based approach. In the 2024 season, they led the league in possession with an average of 57.2%. This style has earned them back-to-back NWSL Challenge Cup wins in 2022 and 2023. One interesting aspect about the Courage’s style is their use of the full-backs in-possession. This piece will be exploring just that.
Modern Full-backs
The full-back position is a position that has undergone changes along with the game’s never-ending evolution. In this era, the theme is control by creating numerical superiority in each phase of play. It’s very common we see many teams build from defence with a back-three where one full-back shifts into the centre-back position and the other either steps into midfield or stays high and wide for width. This article from the Coaches Voice does a good job explaining the inverted full-back role.
You might have heard the term “inverted full-backs” used to refer to full-backs who step into the centre during the possession phase. The purpose of this role is to create overloads in the midfield (a numerical advantage). Pep Guardiola and Johan Cruyff are considered the pioneers of this role. Players like Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) are the most famous examples of inverted-fullbacks. By having more players in midfield, there is an extra passing option which allows the team in possession to play their way out of pressure. They can also position themselves higher up the pitch to receive the ball between the opposition’s midfield and defensive lines which is one of the more dangerous attacking positions. Another benefit of the inverted-full-back is the spaces they free up on the flanks for the wingers to attack the opposing full-back 1v1. They also block central areas which is where the goal is.
On the Courage
North Carolina Courage apply these same principles to their possession style. Feli Rauch and Ryan Williams are the usual full-back pairings, Dani Weatherholt occasionally steps in for Rauch. Here is how they are positioned in-possession:
Ignore the kit numbers. In the illustration, we can see the famed 3–2 shape every team uses nowadays — Williams has tucked into the middle alongside Kurtz and Berkeley, and Rauch has stepped into a more advanced position in midfield next to Sanchez. This 3–2 shape serves as their rest-defence against counter-attacks.
Rauch ranked in the 80th percentile for pass completion with 79.6% per 90 in the 2024 NWSL season highlighting her tidiness in possession and her role in circulating the ball and linking play with those around her. She regularly rotates with the winger, moving out wide allowing them to attack the channels. Rauch is in the 84th percentile for crosses averaging 2.29 per 90 so while she drifts inside, she also peels out wide to cross the ball into the box for the forwards.
We can see above in her heatmap that there’s a lot of red drifting towards the middle of the pitch in deeper areas and more activity towards the touchline past the center circle.
Williams is the more aggressive counterpart on the right with her ability to break forward to support attacking moves. Despite playing as a third centre-back in-possession, she pushes forward, making overlapping and underlapping runs in the final third. She’s also occasionally drifted into midfield to receive the ball.
We can see in her heatmap, her positioning drifting infield and her touches in more advanced areas.
In her scouting report for the 2024 season, Williams was in the 97th percentile for progressive passes averaging 6.08 per 90, and 86th percentile for progressive carries averaging 2.49 per 90. She’s also in the 97th percentile for passes into the final third averaging 5.39 per 90 (off-screen).
Let’s look at some in-game examples:
Against Houston on the first matchday, NC have possession in the midfield third, we can see Williams (blue arrow) in taking up an advanced position between the lines, and Rauch (red arrow) staying back to defend against transtions and as a support option for a the winger on her side.
Away at Bay FC, NC have an aggressively high line. Dani Weatherholt (red arrow) at left-back for Rauch and has taken up that midfield position between the lines while Wingate holds the width to her left. They have an overload against Bay FC’s double pivot in midfield. We can see on the other side Williams (blue arrow) with space to run into between the opposition’s centre-back and full-back because Kerolin’s wide position has dragged Bay’s full-back opponent towards her.
From these examples we can see the upsides of inverted full-backs in Nahas’ system — creating overloads in midfield, combining with wingers to create space for attacking runs. It will be interesting to see the different ways Nahas utilises his full-backs in the coming season. I will be seated.
Thanks for reading,
Freddy.
