Representing your nation is one of the highest honors of any soccer player’s career. Debinha, Denise O’Sullivan, and Lynn Williams are regulars for their respective countries and could be considered rising stars on the international stage. And they all have one thing in common – they play for the North Carolina Courage. One of the rising international stars in the Courage side is Debinha. A soon-to-be-centurion, capped 99 times by Brazil, she is surrounded by world-class talent in her national team. The Brazil squad boasts talent such as Formiga, Cristiane, and Marta. But time and time again, Debinha has shown herself to be up there with the greatest of Brazilian talents. Making her Brazil debut back in 2011, she has become a key player in the years since. Playing in a similar position to Marta, there could be the suggestion that she is the heir to her throne as Brazil’s key player. Marta, who plays for fellow NWSL side Orlando Pride, is 34 years old and while it doesn’t look like she is stopping anytime soon, if anyone is to make the step up as “the next Marta”, it is definitely Debinha. Her performances for the Courage in the NWSL have been a catalyst behind her growth as a player. The 29-year-old made the move to the United States in 2017, joining from Chinese Women’s Super League side Dalian Quanjian. Since the move, she has gone from strength to strength from season to season. Her first campaign, 2017, ended with four goals and two assists. The following season saw her double the previous year’s tally, as he netted eight goals and recorded two assists. The 2019 season saw her score eight times again, but improved her assist tally as Debinha recorded seven assists. The 2020 season was slightly different than usual, due to the pandemic. In the 2020 Fall Series, she scored four goals in four games, as well as gaining an assist. And in the 2020 Challenge Cup, she contributed a goal and an assist. And her battles within the NWSL with Marta has seen Debinha come out on top a number of times. Although both games against Orlando Pride ended in draws, Debinha did score twice in the 3-3 draw in October. 2019 saw the Courage win all three fixtures, with the Brazilian scoring in a 6-1 win in September. The other two results were 3-0 and 5-0 victories for the Courage. The 2018 season saw Debinha score in every game against Marta’s Orlando side, as the Courage won three out of three. 2017 was less successful, however, as Orlando won two from three games against the Courage. Debinha’s form in the NWSL for the NC Courage has shown that she is only improving season by season, and is more than capable of being “the next Marta”, and with the Copa America Femenina coming up in 2022, she will hope to show that in an international tournament. Another NC Courage player who has been impressive on the international scene is Denise O’Sullivan. Her first appearance for the Republic of Ireland came back in 2011 against Wales, scoring twice on her debut. Since making her bow on the international scene, she has gone onto make 80 appearances and score 11 times. O’Sullivan’s rise has to be commended, as in the last few years has seen her gone from a difficult spell at the Houston Dash to the Courage, where she has been named two-time MVP by her teammates, in 2018 and 2019. Since being picked up by head coach Paul Riley, the 26-year-old has been extremely impressive in the NWSL, as shown by the accolades awarded to her. Since joining back in 2017, she has been a key player in Riley’s side that have won two NWSL Championships and three NWSL Shields. The 2017 season saw her play 18 times in the NWSL as she settled into the team. The following season, 2018, saw O’Sullivan cement herself as a key player, starting 20 out of 22 games she was involved in. 2019 saw her play the second-highest minutes for the NC Courage across the NWSL season, behind Jaelene Daniels. Both 2018 and 2019 saw O’Sullivan named as MVP, which shows how important she has been for the side. Her form for the club has made a positive impact on her international form, especially in 2020 as she was named as PFA Ireland International Women’s Player of the Year. O’Sullivan was the winner, ahead of Arsenal player Katie McCabe and Fiorentina’s Louise Quinn. O’Sullivan joined WSL side Brighton & Hove Albion on loan in September 2020. With the Republic of Ireland still in contention to qualify for Euro 2022, she wanted to be available for the country’s remaining qualifying games. A move to England meant she could play for the national side without having to quarantine, something she would have needed to do if she remained in the US. Ultimately, O’Sullivan and Ireland failed to qualify for the European Championships after finishing behind Germany and Ukraine in their group. Despite a disappointing end to their qualifying campaign, she and the rest of the Ireland team can switch their focus onto qualifying for the World Cup in 2023. Although it was a disappointing outcome for Ireland, O’Sullivan can look back on her 2020 with her nation with some pride. Her loan move to Brighton showed her dedication and commitment to playing for her country, and winning Women’s Player of the Year has shown that she is one of the key players in Vera Pauw’s national side. And the third rising star on the international stage in the NC Courage squad is Lynn Williams. Her time in the United States Women’s National Team has been far from easy, but her performances in the NWSL has shown that he is more than capable of getting through the challenge, and that has shown in her 2020 performances for her country. The 2017 season saw her finish with nine goals and five assists in 21 games. In the next season, she beat her tally as she scored 14 times and recorded five assists. 2019 saw her score 12 times and claim five assists again. In the 2020 Challenge Cup, she scored three goals and recorded a single assist, and in the 2020 Fall Series, she scored three times and got an assist in four games. Her stats and performances in the NWSL for the NC Courage has shown that she is consistent, and is a great goal scorer – something she has started to show for the national side. Her debut for the United States came in 2016 after a breakthrough season, entering as a substitute in a friendly against Switzerland, and scored 49 seconds after coming onto the field. In the four years since her debut, the 27-year-old has gone onto make 29 appearances, scoring nine times. Williams’ international career started brightly, playing in the 2017 and 2018 SheBelieves Cup tournaments. But after that, her international career under Jill Ellis stalled. She wasn’t included in the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship roster, and did not make the squad for the 2019 World Cup, which the US went onto win. Ellis’ retirement, and the subsequent appointment of Vlatko Andonovski saw a return to the squad for Williams, and she repaid the faith shown in her with some very impressive performances. She returned to the squad and played in friendlies against Sweden and Costa Rica, and made a goalscoring return as she scored twice off the bench against Costa Rica. In her first five matches back within the team Williams recorded five goals and five assists. In 2020, Williams has scored in CONCACAF Olympic qualifying games against Haiti, Panama, and Canada, as the US secured their place in the women’s soccer tournament at the Olympics in Japan next year. With their place in the tournament secure, Williams will hope her impressive form for club and country will mean she has a place in the squad for the tournament, and beyond. Debinha, O’Sullivan, and Williams have all been impressive for club and country in recent years. With international tournaments for their respective nations on the horizon, the challenge for these players will look to continue their fine form in the NWSL with the North Carolina Courage. The 2021 season is not too far away, and the three players will hope that their performances continue to impress.