East Wake Times

The North Carolina Courage have finalized a transfer deal to acquire 19-year-old Japanese midfielder Shinomi Koyama from Swedish club Djurgårdens IF. The agreement includes an undisclosed fee, and Koyama has signed a three-year contract extending through the 2027 NWSL season. She will require an international spot and is set to join the team upon obtaining her P1 Visa.

Koyama captained Japan during the knockout stages of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2024, where she led the team to secure a silver medal alongside new Courage teammate Manaka Matsukubo. Throughout the tournament, she played all but 45 minutes, serving as captain in four out of seven matches and scoring one goal while playing both midfield and defense roles.

Courage Head Coach Sean Nahas expressed enthusiasm about Koyama's addition: “Adding Shinomi only strengthens an already excellent midfield group for us. A young talent who has started to emerge on the world stage. Extremely cerebral, technically proficient, and an excellent passer, she will fit right into our style of play and be herself. Having her join players such as Denise O’Sullivan and Riley Jackson will make our daily environment that much better. She will be a great addition to our team along with our culture and we cannot wait to have her here in NC. I know our supporters will welcome her with open arms in the coming months! Yet another great day for our club.”

Before joining Djurgårdens IF, Koyama made 13 appearances for Kobe Leonessa in Japan's WE League during the 2022-23 season before transferring to Cezero Osaka, where she appeared seven times in the 2023-24 season. In Sweden, she made 21 appearances for Djurgårdens during the 2024 season, scoring four goals. Across her professional league career so far, Koyama has recorded nine goals and one assist over 41 appearances.

On the international stage, Koyama has represented Japan at youth levels and debuted for the senior national team in a friendly against New Zealand in 2022. She was also called up to join the senior squad during their final window of 2024.