Felicitas Rauch (born 30 April 1996) is a German professional footballer who plays as a defender for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the Germany national team. She previously played for Frauen-Bundesliga clubs Turbine Potsdam and VfL Wolfsburg.
 Rauch with Germany in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Felicitas Rauch[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 30 April 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Hann. Münden, Germany | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder, full-back, winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | North Carolina Courage | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2002 | TSV Eintracht Dungelbeck | ||
| 2002–2010 | VfB Peine | ||
| 2010–2013 | Turbine Potsdam | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2015 | Turbine Potsdam II | 35 | (6) |
| 2014–2019 | Turbine Potsdam | 89 | (22) |
| 2019–2023 | VfL Wolfsburg | 54 | (6) |
| 2024– | North Carolina Courage | 12 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012 | Germany U-16 | 6 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Germany U-17 | 8 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | Germany U-19 | 16 | (2) |
| 2014 | Germany U-20 | 11 | (0) |
| 2015– | Germany | 47 | (4) |
Medal record | |||
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 March 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:19, 29 October 2024 (UTC) | |||
Rauch won a bronze medal with Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Club career
editRauch grew up in Peine-Dungelbeck and began playing football with her brother in 1999 at TSV Dungelbeck. From 2002 to 2010 she played for VfB Peine, consistently in boys' teams. In 2010 she moved to Berlin with her family, where she joined the youth department of Turbine Potsdam. In 2012 she became German runner-up with Potsdam's B-Juniors after a 3–2 final defeat against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and was part of the squad for the second division team from the 2012/13 season.
After winning the 2nd Bundesliga North championship with this team in the 2013/14 season, Rauch was promoted to the first team in the summer of 2014.[2] On 21 September 2014 (day three) she came on as a substitute in the 2–1 win against 1. FFC Frankfurt in the 81st minute for Nataša Andonova and thus celebrated her Bundesliga debut. On 21 February 2019, Rauch announced on she was leaving Potsdam after nine years. She signed a contract with VfL Wolfsburg. In May 2022, Rauch extended her contract with Wolfsburg through June 2025.[3]
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Rauch was acquired for a fee by the North Carolina Courage in January 17, 2024, as a replacement for Emily Fox at left back.[4][5] She appeared in the starting lineup from the first game of the season on March 16.[6]
International career
editRauch made her debut for the U16 national team in 2012 and was used for the U17 national team, among other things, as part of the qualification for the 2013 European Championship. After missing out on qualifying for the finals of the 2014 European Championship with the U19 national team, she took part in the summer of 2014 with the U20 national team at the U20 World Cup, which was held in Canada in August.[7] There she played all six tournament games and became world champion with a 1–0 victory in overtime in the final against Nigeria.[8]
On 17 November 2015, she was called up by Germany coach Silvia Neid in the senior squad for the international match against England, against whom she made her first appearance on 26 November 2015 in a goalless draw. She scored her first international goal on 3 September 2019 in Lviv in the 8–0 win in the second European Championship qualifier in Group I over Ukraine, scoring 3–0 in the 32nd minute.[9]
Rauch was named in the Germany squad for the Euro 2022 by national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg.[10] The German team reached the final, but lost to England and finished as runners-up. Rauch was used in five games.
Rauch represented Germany at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. She appeared in the opening game against Morocco but then injured her knee in training and had to pull out of the tournament.[11]
Rauch was originally an alternate for Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics but was called up to replace Sarai Linder on the main squad due to illness during the group stage.[12][13] She started the remaining five games for Germany, winning a bronze medal.
Personal life
editRauch came out as a lesbian in 2023.[14]
Career statistics
edit- As of 28 October 2024[15]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 2015 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 11 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 11 | 0 | |
| Total | 47 | 4 | |
- Scores and results list Germany's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Rauch goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 September 2019 | Lviv, Ukraine |  Ukraine |
3–0 | 8–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2021 qualifying |
| 2 | 26 October 2021 | Essen, Germany |  Israel |
7–0 | 7–0 | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 9 April 2022 | Bielefeld, Germany |  Portugal |
3–0 | 3–0 | |
| 4 | 3 September 2022 | Bursa, Turkey |  Turkey |
1–0 | 3–0 |
Honours
edit1. FFC Turbine Potsdam II
VfL Wolfsburg
Germany U20
Germany
- Summer Olympics bronze medal: 2024[16]
- UEFA Women's Championship runner-up: 2022[17]
References
edit- ^ "FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Canada 2014 – List of Players: Germany" (PDF). FIFA. 8 August 2016. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ Susi (7 August 2014). "Unser Team für die Saison 2014/15". Fanclub Turbine Potsdam (in German). Retrieved 21 May 2023.
- ^ "Felicitas Rauch verlängert in Wolfsburg". DFB – Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V.
- ^ "Courage acquires German defender Feli Rauch". North Carolina Courage. 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ Kassouf, Jeff (1 February 2024). "'We have to evolve': The Courage built a foundation in 2023. Now, they look for consistency". The Equalizer. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ "Recap: Courage smash Dash on opening night". North Carolina Courage. 16 March 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ "Database Women's U International Matches". Das Fußball Studio.
- ^ "FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Canada 2014 - Awards". 22 January 2016. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
- ^ "Ukraine vs. Germany – 3 September 2019 – Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
- ^ "Voss-Tecklenburg beruft endgültigen Kader für die EM in England". DFB – Deutscher Fußball-Bund e.V.
- ^ Ewing, Lori (28 July 2023). "Germany's World Cup squad lose their third defender to injury". Reuters. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ "Rauch named Germany Olympic alternate". North Carolina Courage. 3 July 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ "Germany undone by the USA in second group game". German Football Association. 29 July 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ Swp.de: Frisch verliebt! Felicitas Rauch zeigt ihre Freundin, May 2023
- ^ "Felicitas Rauch". dfb.de. 18 September 2021.
- ^ "Spain 0-1 Germany: Germany win women's football bronze at Paris 2024". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ Sanders, Emma (31 July 2022). "England beat Germany to win first major women's trophy". BBC. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
External links
edit- Felicitas Rauch at DFB (also available in German)
- Felicitas Rauch – FIFA competition record (archived)
- Felicitas Rauch – UEFA competition record (archive)
- Felicitas Rauch at Soccerway
