Manaka Matsukubo Named Finalist for NWSL MVP, Midfielder of the Year
NWSL North Carolina Courage

Manaka Matsukubo Named Finalist for NWSL MVP, Midfielder of the Year

Published on November 10, 2025 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
North Carolina Courage News Release


North Carolina Courage midfielder Manaka Matsukubo
North Carolina Courage midfielder Manaka Matsukubo
(North Carolina Courage, Credit: Lewis Gettier)

CARY, N.C. - North Carolina Courage midfielder Manaka Matsukubo has been named as a finalist for the NWSL's Most Valuable Player (MVP), presented by AT&T, and Midfielder of the Year awards, the league office announced today.

Voting for the awards runs through November 12 at 8 p.m. ET, and fans can cast their vote for Manaka here. The fan vote will account for 10% of the total, with players (40%), coaches, general managers and owners (25%), and media (25%) accounting for the rest.

Award winners will be announced at the first-ever NWSL Awards on Wednesday, November 19, at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2 in the lead-up to the 2025 NWSL Championship in the Bay Area.

Manaka led all midfielders in the NWSL in goal contributions in 2025 with 15 (11 goals, 4 assists) and finished third in the Golden Boot race, trailing only fellow MVP candidates Gotham forward Ester González and Kansas City forward Temwa Chawinga.

Manaka appeared in all 26 of the Courage's matches, starting all but two and playing 2,106 minutes. No player in the league matched Manaka's combination of scoring and creating, with no other player scoring more than six goals and having at least four assists. Manaka also led the NWSL in goal-creating actions with 13 and finished tied for the most big chances created with 10.

The Courage's young star capped off the season on a magic run of form, scoring five goals in the final month of the season to earn her first career Player of the Month honor and third inclusion in the league's monthly Best XI of the 2025 season. She also became the youngest player in NWSL history to score a hat trick when she scored three goals against Bay FC at just 21 years and 81 days old.

Manaka is the ninth MVP nominee in Courage history, joining Kerolin Nicoli (2023), Debinha (2022, 2019), Lynn Biyendolo (2019, 2018), Kristen Hamilton (2019), McCall Zerboni (2018), and Sam Mewis (2017). Kerolin was the first Courage player to win the MVP award in 2023.

Ashley Sanchez was previously nominated for the league's first-ever edition of the Midfielder of the Year Award in 2024.

The league's Best XIs will also be announced at the November 19 award show. The Courage have had 27 Best XI honors since joining the league in 2017, with both Kaleigh Kurtz and Ryan Williams being named to the First and Second Best XI, respectively, in 2024.

Other major award winners and nominations for the Courage in previous years include two Defender of the Year winners and nine nominees, one Rookie of the Year winner and two nominees, and one Goalkeeper of the Year nominee.

Check out the North Carolina Courage Statistics

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Images from this story

North Carolina Courage midfielder Manaka Matsukubo
North Carolina Courage midfielder Manaka Matsukubo
(Lewis Gettier)		   



National Women's Soccer League Stories from November 10, 2025


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