Courage Country is already well aware of North Carolina Courage midfielder Riley Jackson’s and forward Manaka Matsukubo’s position as two of the top U-20 talents in the NWSL, but the rest of the world got a taste of the duo’s abilities at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia last month.
Jackson and Manaka played crucial roles for the United States and Japan as the countries finished the tournament on the podium and the two close friends came within a game of playing one another in the medal round.
While neither thought about the possibility much during the tournament, the pair joked about the possibility before leaving for the tournament.
“We went out to dinner before the tournament as a sendoff celebration, since we live together and are besties, and we said, ‘Let’s just play each other in the final,’ as a joke, but I had no idea that we were going to get that close to playing each other. Unfortunately, we both lost to Korea, but I am happy we both came home with a medal,” Jackson said.
Manaka won the Silver Ball as the second-best player in the entire tournament, scoring three times for Japan, including a brace against the Netherlands in the semifinals, and being named Player of the Match three times. That semifinal match was Manaka’s favorite memory from the tournament.
While winning the Silver Ball was nice, it was a bitter-sweet moment after losing the final.
“I’m so happy, but I wanted to win the final. I am happy, but a little sad too,” Manaka said.
Manaka is no stranger to big goals in big games, such as her goal and MVP performance in the 2023 Challenge Cup final, and her semifinal brace was an excellent example of her great off-ball movement and ability to finish chances in high-pressure situations.
Jackson was a pivotal piece in a U.S. midfield loaded with young NWSL talent, with the Georgia native playing all but 45 minutes during the bronze-medal campaign. In addition to Jackson, the midfielder included Kansas City’s Claire Hutton and Orlando’s Ally Lemos.
“Those girls are my best friends and it is so much fun to be in the same environment as them because we are all living such different lives, but it is great to have true friends that are doing similar things to what you’re doing so you can relate on a deeper level. It was so fun to be on the field with them and not be playing against. Claire Hutton is one of my best friends, so playing with her in midfield was super fun,” Jackson said.
Jackson said that her and her teammates would watch the NWSL games during team meals, propping up their phones in the middle of the table to keep up with their teams back home. That included the Courage’s 4-1 win in San Diego during Alex Morgan’s retirement game.
“Everyone was rooting for Alex and San Diego and then when Casey saved the PK, I might have screamed. I kind of felt like a rival in the room, but I had to support my girls,” Jackson said with a laugh.
The United States’ run through the tournament included some magical moments, including an improbable comeback win over Germany in the quarterfinals. The U.S. trailed, 2-0, deep in stoppage time but scored twice in the 90+8’ and 90+9’ to send the game to extra time and win on penalties. Jackson scored the decisive penalty for the U.S. before Teagan Wy’s game-clinching save.
“It just showed the grit and the passion of the team. That game, I knew at the end of the day we were going to be successful at the tournament and come home with a medal because of the grit that we showed in that game. It was so much fun getting to come back and then play a role in the penalties. I knew as soon as we came back and scored those two goals, we were winning that game,” Jackson said.
Jackson and Manaka’s medal-winning campaigns at the U-20 World Cup capped off a strong summer for Courage players on the international stage. Five players were called up for the Paris Olympics and three players came home with medals, making the Courage the first club in the history of women’s soccer at the Game’s to have players on each medaling team.
Now, Jackson and Manaka are back with the Courage just in time for the home stretch with just three games remaining in the regular season and both are ready to get back after it with the team.
“We’re excited. We got some time off to rest and recover, but we were counting down the days until we could get back into training. Yesterday was our first day back and it was just so much fun. We are so excited for his last stretch of the season and the energy is really high, so it is great to be back in this environment,” Jackson said.
The Courage are back at home this weekend to take on Angel City FC on Saturday, October 12. Tickets for the match are available here.
