While the North Carolina Courage were taking the field at CPKC Stadium to face off against the Kansas City Current in the NWSL Playoffs nearly 1,000 miles away, the Courage faithful poured into the Downtown Raleigh Carolina Ale House on Glenwood Avenue to cheer the team.
Nearly 200 members of Courage Country took over the third-story, downtown bar to connect with fellow fans, win giveaways, meet Roary, and enjoy some great food and drink while cheering on the Courage in the quarterfinals.
Scott Bynum, a new season ticket member in 2024 that fell in love with the Courage after attending a game for the first time in 2023, was one of the first in the door to the watch party.
“I knew flights to Kansas City were a little too expensive, so I figured this was the next best thing. I wanted to support the team as much as I possibly could,” Bynum said.
For Bynum, the fan community surrounding the team is one of the best reasons to go out to a watch party like Saturday.
“The Courage have built a great community of people who just love the Courage and love soccer in the area. It is a great thing that they have built,” Bynum said.
Fans came from all over for the event, including the mother-daughter duo of Katherine and Olivia McKinney, who came from over an hour away to cheer alongside their fellow fans and are regular attendees at team watch parties.
“We like coming out and hanging out with other Courage fans, just being about to watch together is really nice” Katherine said.
Olivia brings a sign to every game but when it comes to a favorite Courage player, she can’t choose just one, instead opting for “the whole team,” when asked for her favorite.
Big saves and close chances drew large cheers from the assembled fans, while Manaka Matsukubo’s would-be goal waived off by the referee caused no shortage of boos and jeers.
“I do wish that one goal counted,” Olivia said at halftime, mirroring the sentiment of all of Courage Country.
Between a regular season finale sellout and a packed house for the playoff watch party, momentum is building in Courage Country heading into the offseason.
