North Carolina Courage host Angel City FC with both teams making big trades, chasing a playoff push

Time is running out in the 2025 NWSL regular season for teams in the playoff mix, and for lower table teams, it's desperation time. In a brutal race for playoff positioning, 11th-place North Carolina Courage will host 10th-place Angel City FC on Saturday (12:30 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+) with must-win energy for both sides.

For North Carolina, the club is winless in their last five matches and coming off a major intraleague record transfer fee after trading midfielder Jaedyn Shaw to Gotham FC. Meanwhile, Angel City has just one win in their previous five games, and is trying to reset momentum after the departure of their best player, winger Alyssa Thompson, to Chelsea FC.

The West Coast side isn't waving a white flag on the season just yet, as the franchise welcomes more pieces to fit the longer-term vision. German head coach Alez Strauss joined the team midseason, and recently welcomed German defender Sara Doorsoun-Khajeh to the roster and acquired NWSL veteran Nealy Martin in an intraleague trade.

Here are storylines, how you can watch the match and more:

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How to watch NWSL on CBS

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 13 | Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
• Location: First Horizon Stadium -- Cary, N.C.
• TV: CBS | Live stream: Paramount+
• Odds: NC Courage +125; Draw +220; Angel City +165

"I'm very happy that Nealy is here. She has won in this league with Gotham, and she knows what it takes to win. That's a big thing, and that's a big asset for us. She can cover a lot of positions. She can play in the midfield, but also multiple positions in the defense. We are very happy with her coming to ACFC and that she wanted to come here," Angel City manager Alex Strauss told media.

Nealy Martin's move to Los Angeles comes at a complex time in the calendar, with just seven match weeks left on the schedule, and Angel City in desperation mode to leap into the postseason picture. The midfiedler is going from a team just two years removed from the NWSL Championship, and currently in playoff contention, to a franchise three points off the playoff line, and trying to retool its roster along the way.

Dwindling minutes at Gotham FC and the possibility for increased game time in a new environment were all things that intrigued Martin about the move to Angel City, and she could be the right fit for an Angel City side that has long needed stability in the midfield.

"We need players with experience who have played championship games before, and she's been a part of a very good Gotham team. She brings a lot of qualities that she adds to our team, but in the football part, she's a very intelligent football player. She wins a lot of situations and, yeah, smart football. I'm happy she's here," said Strauss.

Martin could make her Angel City debut this weekend, while centerback Sara Doorsoun-Khajeh earned her first minutes last weekend. Strass noted that the 33-year-old veteran was acquired to help boost a thin backline.

"When I came here, we felt that we were a little bit thin in the center of the defensive positions. We lost Savy King before I arrived, so we knew that we were a little bit underloaded in that position," Strauss explained.

"We looked at a lot of players, and it needed to be someone a little bit different from the ones we had, someone who could bring something into the environment that we didn't already have. And Sara is a player that I always felt, when she played against me, was always very good, very difficult to play against, and smart."

There's not an excessive amount of time for the new additions to get acclimated to the roster, but Doorsoun's familiarity with Strauss from the Frauen Bundesliga could benefit in a quick turnaround. The defender joined Angel City shortly after renewing her contract with Frankfurt, and recalls competing against his rosters in Germany.

"I always played against him, which wasn't always nice. We had tough games against each other. Unfortunately, Frankfurt didn't win that often; Bayern won more. He knows how to win games, and he has won the last three years in Germany, so he knows what he's doing, and having a coach who knows how people of Europe like to play soccer makes it a little bit easier. I have to get used to some things, and he's just there to help me," said Doorsoun."

"When I heard that Alex Straus was going to be the next head coach of Angel City, I was a little bit jealous, but a few weeks later, I got the call from him. He said it wasn't nice to play against you, and he saw the way I play in Frankfurt, which is something I'm really grateful for."

Doorsoun's experience will also help bridge any gaps in adjusting from one league to another, though there will still be a period of learning and growth for any player joining a new team. With her first minutes already checked off her to-do list, the defender could see more time against an equally points starved North Carolina.

"When I got the chance to play ... I was so proud of the Angel City logo on my chest and to finally play for this team. I'm not here for vacation or holiday or whatever, I want to be successful with this team, I want to give my best for this club. I have already achieved a lot in my career, but I also want to learn from this team because it's different compared to the European league," Doorsoun reflected on her first minutes.

"I said after the game, 'Wow, what a start.' I got my yellow card after two minutes, and I didn't get a lot of yellow cards in Frankfurt. I said, 'Okay, welcome to the U.S. league,' ... Everything is a little bit faster and quicker. The opponents are so quick and so fast, so I have to figure out if my style of play fits, or if I have to change something."

Martin and Doorsoun could be employed as game changers off the bench against North Carolina, and Strauss is already mapping out the ways in which Angel City will be challenged. There's still time left in the season to make sure the group remains in the playoff conversation, but how they manage the remaining games against other squads with similar aspirations will be the real test.

"They're a very high-pressure team, aggressive, and when they have the ball, they have a lot of rotations. They have some players that are really good at playing between the lines and good in the buildup, good central defenders, and good ball-playing, so it is challenging," Strauss said.

"I think we are a challenge for them as well. It's a game where two teams are trying to find themselves again, so this is gonna be interesting."