![]() Matsukubo with the
North Carolina Courage in 2023 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Manaka Matsukubo | ||
Date of birth | 28 July 2004 | ||
Place of birth | Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan | ||
Height | 1.55 m (5 ft 1 in) | ||
Position(s) | Forward / attacking midfielder [1] | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | North Carolina Courage | ||
Number | 34 | ||
Youth career | |||
2017–2022 | JFA Academy Fukushima | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | ( Gls) |
2019–2022 | JFA Academy Fukushima | 46 | (30) |
2023– | Mynavi Sendai | 12 | (4) |
2023– | North Carolina Courage | 17 | (1) |
International career‡ | |||
2019 | Japan U16 | ||
2022 | Japan U20 | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 May 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16 October 2023 |
Manaka Matsukubo (松窪 真心, Matsukubo Manaka, born 28 July 2004) is a Japanese professional football player who plays as a forward or attacking midfielder for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). She plays internationally for Japan women's national under-20 football team and was an integral part of the team that made the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup final. [2]
Matsukubo made her professional debut for Mynavi Sendai of the WE League on 5 March 2023 and played 1,075 minutes across the season. [3] She helped the team to a fourth-place finish in her first year as a professional, scoring four goals and adding one assist. [4]
On 27 July 2023, the North Carolina Courage acquired Matsukubo on loan from Mynavi Sendai through June 2024. [3] She made her first NWSL appearance on 27 August 2023. [2] With the Courage, Matsukubo became the youngest player to start a game in the NWSL Challenge Cup and the youngest to score. [4] In the Challenge Cup final against Racing Louisville, she was named the most valuable player of the match after scoring the Courage's second goal with a chip volley in the 2–0 victory. [5] [6] [7]
Matsukubo scored her first regular-season goal the next week in a 2–1 loss to the Orlando Pride. [8] In the Courage's last regular-season game, Matsukubo crossed to Tyler Lussi for a goal to help the Courage defeat the Washington Spirit 1–0 and clinch their spot in the playoffs. [9]
On 27 June 2024, Matsukubo was signed by the Courage permanently through 2025. [10]
Matsukubo played for Japan's U-20 World Cup team during the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in 2022. [11] She was called up to play for the U-20 Japan Women's National Team for the AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup in 2024, but she left early to return to her club. [12]
Club | Season | League | National Cup [a] | League Cup [b] | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
JFA Academy Fukushima | 2019 | Challenge League | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 3 |
2020 | Challenge League | 12 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 9 | |
2021 | Nadeshiko League 2 | 14 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 15 | |
2022 | Nadeshiko League 2 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 6 | |
Total | 46 | 30 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 33 | ||
Mynavi Sendai | 2022–23 | WE League | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 4 |
North Carolina Courage (loan) | 2023 | NWSL | 7 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 9 | 2 | |
Career Total | 65 | 35 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 72 | 39 |
JFA Academy Fukushima
North Carolina Courage
Individual