The North Carolina Courage made a major international splash on Wednesday, acquiring German National Team fullback Felicitas ‘Feli’ Rauch from Wolfsburg of the Frauen-Bundesliga. A cornerstone signing in the new era of Courage, the 27-year-old looks to be a major piece in the build from the team’s foundation set in 2023. Get to know the newest member of Courage Country with our Quick Kicks series.
First of her kind
Rauch is the first player with German affiliation to join the North Carolina Courage in club history, the 16th different country affiliation. The 27-year-old has 36 appearances for the senior German National Team, including the 2022 Euros and 2023 Women’s World Cup. She has four goals on the international stage, including three in 2023. Rauch had five appearances in the Euro 2022, helping Germany reach the final. She made her debut at 18 years old in a 2015 friendly against England, playing the full 90 minutes.
Wolf among Sheep
Rauch joined Wolfsburg in 2019 and has over 6,000 minutes across 80 league appearances for the club, scoring eight times and adding 20 assists from her defensive position. She’s helped the European giant to two Frauen-Bundesliga championships, four straight DFB Pokal Frauen titles, and a pair of runners-up finishes in the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2019-20 and 2022-23. Rauch had an assist in Wolfsburg’s 3-2 win in the second leg of the 2022-23 Champions League semifinal against Arsenal.
Immediate Impact
Rauch began her club career at just 16 years old in 2012 with FFC Turbine Potsdam II after a few years in their academy. She would play with the second team for three years before joining the first team in 2014, where she’d make 89 appearances and notch 22 goals across five seasons before departing for Wolfsburg.
