CARY, N.C. -- An exciting week on the pitch begins Thursday in the Triangle as the 2nd annual Women's International Champions Cup will be hosted by the North Carolina Courage.

The Tournament, which was a success during it's debut in Miami last year, will feature four different teams from around the world including Manchester City, 5-time UEAFA Champions League winners Olympique Lyonnais, Atletico de Madrid and of course the host team, North Carolina Courage.

The Courage are not only the defending champs of the inaugural ICC, but they're also the title holders for the NWSL, which is considered to be the top professional league for Women's Soccer in the United States. They will open up their first match against Manchester City in the night cap and will be preceded by Lyon and Atletico.

As much talent that will be on display amongst these four squads, Courage Head Coach Paul Riley sees this as a great opportunity to not only duplicate their success from 2018 but also be a solid representation of the NWSL.

Riley says, "This is obviously the best in the world in terms of parity of the league so every week in and week out, it doesn't matter who you play, you've got a game on your hands and I think we want to show Manchester City, can you match the power and the speed of a high-press team that's going to make it difficult for you?"

The Courage and Manchester City are slated to play their match at 7:30 p.m. at Sahlen's Stadium.