How will Jaedyn Shaw fit in the NC Courage’s system? ‘Freedom within a structure’

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Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images

Reporting from NWSL Media Day in Beverly Hills, Calif.


There was a hesitance in Jaedyn Shaw‘s voice as she was presented to media for the first time since her blockbuster move from the San Diego Wave to the North Carolina Courage.

As she sat on the dais in a Los Angeles-area hotel ballroom — her new teammates Ashley Sanchez and Casey Murphy fielding their own questions across the room at the inaugural NWSL Media Day — Shaw struck an unsure tone of how to express her feelings on the matter, and why the Courage ended up being the right fit after more than two years with the Wave. The story had broken nearly two weeks before, but she hadn’t taken an opportunity to explain the move before Friday afternoon. Per reporting, she had been mulling the decision to leave for a year. After a few questions, she formed a thread around those reasons.

“I think ultimately, for me, I wanted to take my game to the next level,” Shaw said. “Therefore I wanted a change of scenery, new eyes on me. I know how hard it is to play against [the Courage], so that helped draw me to them. I want to be a part of it, and I want to help make them better.”

Shaw is no stranger to the Courage setup, of course. She reminded reporters that she had initially committed to UNC before deciding to become a professional, and had trained with the Courage’s youth players while head coach Sean Nahas was still an assistant at the club.

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