u/FromVAtoLA

Angel City had their third straight draw last weekend and a quarter of you correctly predicted that outcome. ACFC stays in LA this week as Gotham comes to town for a Sunday night matchup.

Through 18 games, Angel City sits just below the playoff line with a 7-4-7 record. They scored 27 goals and allowed 20 goals. Even though SJJ and Mai have missed the last couple of weeks they lead Angel City’s attack with 8 and 6 goal contributions, respectively. Gisele and Evelyn have 5 goal contributions each (4 and 1 and 1 and 4, respectively) as outside backs. On the defensive side, the 20 goals allowed places ACFC third in the league.

Through 20 games, Gotham are in 1st place with a 13-4-3 record. They scored 26 goals and allowed 13 goals. In the last couple of weeks they lost their defensive stalwart, Emily Sonnett, and Esther, their scoring leader. But Tierna Davidson returned to the backline from an SEI and they picked up Sam Kerr, who has quickly returned to form, scoring 3 goals in the past 5 matches. That pushed her back up to the top of the list for all-time NWSL goal scorers. They have a league-average attack, but their defense is elite.

They have not played each other this season, but Gotham owns the head-to-head with a 6-1-1 regular season record and a 4-0-0 record at BMO/the Banc.

Who will win the rematch? Vote in the poll and discuss below.

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The 30 game 2026 season is the longest ever. It stretches over 7-1/2 months – from the middle of March to the end of October. 30 games can be a slog. Your roster, tactics, hopes, and dreams can be completely different in games 1 through 5 versus the games you're playing in October. We’re now 5 months into the season. 2/3’s of Angel City’s fifth season is in the books, and the playoffs start in 2-1/2 months.

Yet, last night was the first time we saw Trinity Rodman and the Spirit. We haven’t seen the expansion teams – Boston Legacy and Denver Summit – either. Angel City also hasn’t played Gotham - the team sitting at the top of the table. That’s eight games against teams we haven’t seen yet. Meanwhile, we won’t see San Diego, Kansas City, Portland, Orlando, Houston, or Chicago again this year.

Every sports league with long seasons and a lot of teams struggles with this. Just ask a fan of any pro baseball or basketball team how the scheduler screwed them over. More teams are coming into the league and most teams don't control their stadium. The job of the NWSL scheduler won't get easier until quantum computing comes along in a few years.

Angel City managed to slide a glass slipper on just before midnight last night. Because of that, they're hanging right around the playoff line. How will the balance of the schedule impact them? Will they move up and land their second ever playoff appearance or will they move down and spend the offseason watching it on a screen just like us?

On one hand, Angel City won’t see most of the golden boot leaders again this season, including Banda, Sanchez, Chawinga, Ijeh, Wilson, and Tordin. On the other hand, they face the two toughest defenses in the league – Washington and Gotham - four times over the final 2-1/2 month stretch.

Can the team maintain balance as it navigates its way through the unbalanced schedule that remains?

It’s the next day…the day after a draw against the second ranked team in the league…the day after the return of Savy and Syd…discuss the game…discuss how the team can maintain balance with an unbalanced schedule…discuss the defensive tactics and formation now that all five backs are healthy again…or discuss whatever you like…

The news around Ronaldo announcing his final season today and seeing Syd Leroux* finally removed from the injury report made me wonder if any of the league's 80's babies will be playing next season. There are five players born in the 80s with minutes this season per FB Ref. All are free agents at the end of the season.

• Marta (born: 1986, played in 12 matches for 572 mins)
• Jess Fishlock (born: 1987, played in 7 matches for 356 mins)
• Alyssa Naeher (born: 1988, played in 8 matches for 650 mins)
• Sophie Schmidt (born: 1988, played in 10 matches for 247 mins)
• Allysha Chapman (born: 1989, played in 12 matches for 444 mins)

I wonder if Marta will sign a short-term contract or something and try to stay in form until June when the World Cup matches start in her home country. Fishlock already announced her retirement. I assume any news around Uncle will lack fanfare and probably come from others, not her. Sophie already retired from the national team. Chapman's been logging some minutes in the starting lineup for Houston recently.

*Syd was born in 1990.

A quarter of you correctly predicted the draw in Seattle. Will more of you correctly predict the outcome of this week’s match against the Spirit?

Through 17 matches, Angel City sits at the playoff line with a 7-3-7 record. They scored 26 goals and allowed 19 goals. SJJ and Mai lead Angel City’s attack with 8 and 6 goal contributions, respectively. Gisele and Evelyn have 5 goal contributions each (4 and 1 and 1 and 4, respectively) as outside backs. On the defensive side, the 19 goals allowed places ACFC third in the league.

Through 19 games, Washington is in 2nd place with an 11-3-5 record. They scored 29 goals and allowed 17 goals. Rodman is second in the NWSL in goal contributions with 14 (9 and 5) and third in the league in goals. Leicy has 9 goal contributions and Cantore has 5 goals. On the defensive side, the 17 goals allowed places the Spirit second in the league. They’ve been playing with a short bench lately as they had 5 players at WAFCON.

Angel City has a 3-1-4 head-to-head record against Washington and a 1-1-2 record when they play at BMO/the Banc. We may be almost 2/3’s through the NWSL season, but this is their first matchup of the year.

Who will win the rematch? Vote in the poll and discuss below.

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Going to CPKC and taking home a point is no easy feat - even if Chawinga was on another continent. The replay of SJJ's injury doesn't give me confidence that her ankle will be ready for Lumen's turf next Sunday.

That makes me wonder...what's more valuable? The fact that Angel City has two games in hand compared to the top of the table...or...the fact that they are barely roster compliant and have the thinnest bench in NWSL...?

Having two games in hand means you can put 6 points on the table. Doing that means ACFC would host a home game in the playoffs. Oh the potential!

Having two games in hand means you have to play 14 games over the next 3 months while the table leaders play 12. And you have to do that with less depth than any other team. Oh the sore, tired legs!

It’s the next day…the day after a draw against a team that doesn’t lose at home…the day after an injury that may knock Sveindis out for a while…discuss the game…discuss having two games in hand…discuss the shortest roster in the league…discuss whether ACFC’s cup is half full or half empty…or discuss whatever you like…

Less than 5% of you correctly predicted the home loss to last place Louisville. Ouch – talk about unexpected! This week, ACFC travels to Kansas City for some jazz, BBQ, and a soccer match against the Current.

Angel City sits at the playoff line with a 7-1-7 record. They scored 23 goals and allowed 16 goals. SJJ and Mai lead Angel City’s attack with 6 goals each. Sveindis has a couple of assists to go along with her goals. On the defensive side, the 16 goals allowed places ACFC third in the league.

The Current are in 6th place with an 8-1-7 record. They scored 23 goals and allowed 23 goals. Kansas City will be missing some of its offensive firepower. Chawinga will be playing in WAFCON. Michelle Cooper has been injured for nearly all of July. It’s unclear if she will be back. Ally Sentnor will be playing for the LA side. That limits options for Croix Bethune but she’s still a superstar with 3 goals and 6 assists. Defensively, Lorena - KC’s starting keeper, has been out for a couple of months.

Angel City won 2-1 when they played at BMO in May. Who will win the rematch? Vote in the poll and discuss below.

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Even after last night's loss, Angel City maintains one of the best defenses in the league. Only #1 ranked Washington and #2 ranked Gotham have allowed fewer goals this season.

That defense has been driven by a strong back line. Sarah Gorden is a captain, fan favorite, and anchors the center. Gisele quickly developed into one of the best outside backs in the league because of the offensive threats she creates on the wing. Emily Sams brought USWNT credibility with her and has paired well with Sarah and Thompson. Savy's missed a lot of playing time but has a very high ceiling. The sub has has discussed all of them at length.

Until last night, I'm not sure many fans realized how central Evelyn Shores was to the success of the back line. Louisville pressed well for the first ~60 minutes and ACFC looked disorganized and systemless. When Angel City had the ball they were often pushed wide-right, especially in the first half.

Hopefully Evelyn just has a minor knock and will return soon. Savy's posting videos to IG that suggests she'll be on the pitch soon as well. If both are sidelined next weekend, Coach Leif will need to make some tactical changes.

The good news is the next match is against Kansas City who has a roster that may be missing their biggest scoring threats. Chawinga will be playing in WAFCON. Michelle Cooper has been injured for nearly all of July. And Ally Sentnor plays for ACFC now. Croix Bethune is a superstar but that certainly limits her passing options.

It's the next day...the day after a loss at home...the first loss of the season in a match where SJJ scored a goal...a game with too many low probability, outside of the boxes shots...discuss that...discuss how Evelyn shores up the back line...or discuss whatever you like.

Asst Coach Earnshaw's move to Team Canada was just announced and last week the hiring of a new Assistant Coach and new Goalkeeping Coach were announced. There are a bunch of ways to read into this, but here are two:

1. The front office knew about Earnshaw moving to Canada and needed to find a replacement. They also needed a GK coach. They hired both, announced them together, and Earnshaw's announcement followed a week later. They'll eventually hire a permanent head coach and that head coach will still be able to hire a technical/support team.

2. No decent coach is going to take a head coaching job and not be able to hand pick their technical/support team. Coach Smerud's been involved in the hiring decisions and this points to him eventually being named permanent head coach.

Over 85% of you correctly predicted the win over the Stars on Saturday! This week, Louisville comes to town for a Sunday evening match at BMO.

ACFC is back above the playoff line with a 7-1-6 record. They scored 22 goals and allowed 14 goals. Angel City has three straight wins and three straight clean sheets since the break.

Racing is in last place with a 2-2-10 record. They scored 16 goals and allowed 27 goals. Racing has two losses and a draw since the break.

Kayla Fischer and Emma Sears lead Racing’s offense with 5 goal contributions each, followed by Sarah Weber and Katie O’Kane with 4 goal contributions each. Louisville has allowed 27 goals this year, which is the second worst in the league. Savannah Demelo hasn’t returned since she collapsed on the pitch last season and revealed she had Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism. Hopefully, she’ll be back soon.

SJJ and Mai lead Angel City’s attack with 7 and 6 goal contributions, respectively. Gisele and Shores have four goal contributions each from their spots on the wings. Angel City has allowed 14 goals this year, which is the third best in the league. Jun posted an IG of her and Hina lifting weights. Hopefully that means she’s on the mend, doesn’t need another surgery, and won’t lose too much time. Hina is posting some of her workouts, but she’s still navigating through the recovery journey. Hopefully Savy’s recovery is speeding along too. She looked great at the ESPYs recently.

Who will win on Sunday? Vote in the poll and discuss below.

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Oh ye of little faith! Only 38% of you correctly predicted Friday’s win against the Pride. This weekend, Angel City will drive south to play the Wave.

ACFC currently sits in 9th place with a 5-1-6 record from 12 matches. They have scored 18 goals and allowed 14 goals. San Diego sits at the top of the table with a 9-1-4 record from 14 matches. They have scored 21 goals and allowed 13 goals.

The Wave’s leading scorer is Dudinha (5 goals and 4 assists). Unfortunately, she suffered a season-ending injury during the USWNT match last month in Brazil. They still have a powerful offense though. Former Virginia star and rookie of the year candidate, Lia Godfrey, has 4 goals and 4 assists; fellow rookie, Trinity Byars, has 4 goals; and 18-year old dribbling sensation Mel Barcenas has 3 goals (including a golazo she blasted from outside the box last weekend).

Their defense is excellent as well. They are one of three teams in the league that allows less than 1 goal per game. And they accomplished that even as they have rotated through several goalkeepers (including Didi Haracic). 19 year-old, Luisa Agudelo, took over duties in the net last weekend and came up with a clean sheet against Gotham. I believe she’s only the second or third teenager in league history to start in goal.

ACFC holds a mid-table position and their offense and defense is mid-table as well. The offensive is led by Sveindis (4 and 2), Maiara (4 and 0), and Gisle (3 and 1).

What will be the result this weekend? Vote in the poll and drop your thoughts below.

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Welcome back! After a month off Angel City returns to action with a Friday evening matchup at BMO against Orlando.
 
ACFC sits in 12th place with 13 points through 11 games from a 4-1-6 record. They scored 16 goals and allowed 14 goals. Orlando is in 8th place with 17 points through 12 games from a 5-2-5 record. They scored 18 goals and allowed 17 goals.
 
Orlando won the previous matchup 2-1 in April. Ovalle was injured trying to keep pace with Sveindis in that match. She was working her way back ahead of the break, so expect her to be in the starting 11. Barbara Banda leads the league in scoring with 11 goals through 12 games. Based on social media posts, Savy is still working her way back from the ankle injury and it’s not clear if Sveindis will return from her injury.
 
There wasn’t much news out of Orlando during the break but ACFC announced a new CEO (though she hasn’t started yet), fired their coach, sent Kennedy Fuller to Bay FC, picked up Ally Sentnor, didn’t make any changes in the midfield, didn’t sign a HIP, held a STH event, and generated a lot of social media attention. Oh - to be a fly on the wall at the training facility!
 
Friday night should be interesting! What do you think the result will be? Vote in the poll and discuss below.

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Here's a list of the top 50 for minutes played for ACFC (based on full 90s, not extra time). Current roster is in bold. Any of your perceptions different than reality? For me it's Jun Endo. The lower leg gods have ruined her journey from the unknown, 21-year-old booting the Banger at the Banc, to being a mature presence on the pitch.

1. Sarah Gorden: 7128 mins
2. DiDi Haracic: 5580 mins
3. Megan Reid: 5467 mins
4. Alyssa Thompson: 4692 mins
5. Claire Emslie: 4561 mins
6. Madison Hammond: 3828 mins
7. Savannah McCaskill: 3703 mins
8. Angelina Anderson: 3600 mins
9. Jun Endō: 3581 mins
10. Gisele Thompson: 3529 mins
11. Kennedy Fuller: 3510 mins
12. Mary Vignola: 3376 mins
13. Paige Nielsen: 3345 mins
14. Jasmyne Spencer: 3224 mins
15. Dani Weatherholt: 3190 mins
16. Ali Riley: 3095 mins
17. Riley Tiernan: 2892 mins
18. Sydney Leroux: 2442 mins
19. Clarisse Le Bihan: 2272 mins
20. Evelyn Shores: 1884 mins
21. Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir: 1650 mins
22. Cari Roccaro: 1642 mins
23. Madison Curry: 1591 mins
24. Tyler Lussi: 1463 mins
25. Nealy Martin: 1427 mins
26. Miyabi Moriya: 1423 mins
27. Christen Press: 1348 mins
28. Alanna Kennedy: 1347 mins
29. Katie Zelem: 1329 mins
30. Lily Nabet: 1324 mins
31. Maiara: 1211 mins
32. Meggie Dougherty Howard: 1165 mins
33. Raquel Rodríguez: 1139 mins
34. Simone Charley: 1132 mins
35. Savannah King: 996 mins
36. Emily Sams: 962 mins
37. Scarlett Camberos: 910 mins
38. Ary Borges: 838 mins
39. Katie Johnson: 808 mins
40. Macey Hodge: 755 mins
41. Messiah Bright: 687 mins
42. Sara Doorsoun: 632 mins
43. Vanessa Gilles: 603 mins
44. Amandine Henry: 580 mins
45. Julie Ertz: 571 mins
46. Taylor Suarez: 492 mins
47. Merritt Mathias: 371 mins
48. Julie Dufour: 370 mins
49. Hina Sugita: 360 mins
50. Hannah Seabert: 360 mins

Our region boasts the Lakers and their historic dynasties; the Dodgers, baseball bluebloods whose very uniforms wear that color; and the Rams, who returned home to capture a Super Bowl. We have USC and UCLA, twin titans of the college record books; LAFC, one of the most successful expansion teams in sports; and the Galaxy, holders of the most MLS titles in history. Even the Sparks command respect as a founding pillar of the WNBA. 

Conversely, we endure the hapless Angels and their two decades of mediocrity; the Clippers, burdened by one of the worst historic records in the NBA and a disgraced former owner; and the Chargers, who relocated only to remain an afterthought. As for the Raiders, their remaining local fans deserve hazard pay just for continuing to support them.

I always hoped Angel City FC would join the vanguard of the former category. Instead, a half-decade in, I fear they are sinking into the latter.

I know many of you felt Gisele would be the next star to leave. I never felt that. She doesn't need to follow in her sister's footsteps. And to prove that point, she wouldn't. My suspicion was always around Fuller. I didn't think she would re-sign and thought she may even leave early. I was ok with that because I don't see her as the next Olivia Moultrie (though I know many of you do). So, I wasn’t shocked when the news was announced. I figured a bigger announcement would follow soon.

Ally Sentnor is certainly bigger. But is she better? She’s definitely the Rorschach test of the USWNT. Only Lindsey Heaps elicits stronger reactions. If you’re a fan of outside the box, low xG bangers, then you’ll like her. If you’re a fan of Riley Tiernan, you can only hope that she unlocks the early 2025 version of Riley. My concern is I didn’t think Straus was a coach that could unlock the potential in that pairing.  

But that view doesn't matter now…
I was ambivalent on Straus. He’s the best coach the team has seen, but it’s a low bar. They should have definitely given him a full season to prove himself. More importantly, the timing - *after* the team returned from the vacation/country break - makes you wonder…not having a replacement coach ready to go makes you wonder…

If you were hopeful ACFC would sign someone who would sell a lot more jerseys, you’ll have to wait. Bunny, Kerr, La Reina, etc all seem to be off the board. Is the team willing to write a huge check for a HIP? Can the team attract an excellent coach given the high turnover they’ve created there?

Who knows…I’m confused and have lost the plot…and I’m waiting for the annual email asking me to renew my season tickets…Will I? Should I?

How are you feeling? What are your thoughts? Feel free to use this thread for group therapy, because we could probably all benefit from some.

Sam and Claire discuss how she navigated pregnancy and the birth of her son. I didn’t know Claire worked with Savy on her left foot while they were both sidelined.
This interview link is to Apple, but it’s available on all of the podcatching platforms (though they haven’t posted it to You Tube yet).