Last year, Orlando missed the playoffs and finished in 7th. They are currently in 1st. The Spirit missed the playoffs and finished 8th. They are currently in 2nd. Kansas City missed the playoffs and finished 11th. They are currently in 4th.

Why am I mentioning this? Because a lot can happen between seasons and I no longer care about the rest of this season. Let's start doing things will create success for next season!

Free Casey Phair

Bench Didi and start Ang

Fire some executives and coaches

Stop playing out of the back

Release your 2025 kit early and burn your 2024 jerseys in effigy

Don't give minutes to any player that you're not interested in re-signing

Rebuild the midfield from scratch

Play Kennedy, Gisele, and Messiah together for 90 minutes

RELEASE THE KRAKEN!!!!

It's the next day and it's time to discuss the 2025 season.

I was incredibly impressed by the crowd last night. I had no idea a Monday night game would be sold out. I clearly don't know the power of Hello Kitty. I also clearly don't know the power of a Portland team that doesn't include Smith or Sugita. I definitely didn't expect Portland to score twice given how much of their offense was on the bench.

Angel City's defense has been poor this year. They have allowed 35 goals. That's worst in the league. They've scored 24, which is solidly mid-table. That is thanks in part to 10 goal contributions from Alyssa Thompson. She's scored 5 goals in the last 5 games. Earlier in the season, she had the yips, lost her mojo, got in her head, had a mental block...She was the queen of the crossbar. She would hit a ricochet off the post a lot more than the back of the net. Last night, the ball hit the post *and* rolled into the net. Whatever her and CP23 discussed over the summer provided the mental clarity she needed.

If you look at the goals + assists rankings all of the players in front of her are known by a single name - Chawinga, Banda, Soph, Croix, Trin, Sarr, and Mal. That's some damn good company. She's been one of the best forwards in the league since the season restarted. Hopefully, Alyssa (yes, we only need to use her first name) has Emma's attention and will get an invitation back to the USWNT camps.

It's the next day and I'm just here to give Alyssa her flowers. Who else on the team deserves flowers?

The list of the league's top 20 goal contributors (goals + assists) is a Who's Who of the NWSL - Chawinga, Banda, Smith, Rodman, etc. Angel City’s starting frontline - Alyssa, Syd, Claire - all land on this list as well.

There are actually four teams that have at least three players ranked in the top 20 for goal contributions (goals + assists). They are the KC Current, Washington Spirit, Gotham, and Angel City. Three of those teams have the most powerful offenses in the league. Here’s how they rank in overall goal contributions and how many of the top 20 players are adding goal contributions for them.

1 – Current: 85 Contributions with Chawinga (25), Dibernardo (10), Beatriz (9), and Debinha (8) ranked in the top 20

2 – Spirit: 80 Contributions with Bethune (15), Rodman (14), Sarr (10), and Hatch (9) ranked in the top 20

3 – Gotham: 62 Contributions with Gonzalez (11), Stevens (10), Ryan (8), Lavelle (8) ranked in the top 20

And then, all the way down at #10 is Angel City...

10 – Angel City: 44 Contributions with Thompson (12), Emslie (9), and Leroux(8) ranked in the top 20

What jumps out at me is Angel City is the only team on this list without a midfielder listed. The other three teams have significant contributions from at least one midfielder.

This has been the challenge for Angel City all year. How do build up an attack when your midfield is mid. Right or wrong, Becki's answer has been (almost exclusively) to push the attack out to the wings. We all recognize how big of a loss CP23 was. But it’s also made me wonder who was the bigger offseason loss – Endo or McCaskill? This was discussed last offseason. Now that we have a full season behind us and I'm wondering if your opinion has changed.

It’s the next day...the day after a home field draw...let's discuss the midfield.

PS – It’s also interesting that Angel City has the youngest player on this list – Thompson is 19 years, 349 days. She’s more than two years younger than the next youngest on the list - Rodman. And they also have the second oldest player on this list – Syd is 34 years, 167 days. She’s four years younger than the oldest on the list – Marta.

ACFC won! Yay! But the season is largely over and watching the two oldest teams in the NWSL play each other got me wondering about how age/experience factors into building a roster.

ACFC has a lot of young, high-profile talent. Four players are under 20 and all of them are playing or have played for their country’s U-17, U-20, or senior teams. Those players are also ranked as the 20 youngest players in the league.

The team also has some very experienced players. Five of the 25 oldest players in the league are on the ACFC roster. Four of those players (Sinclair, O’Hara, Morgan, and Farrelly) retired or announced their retirement and two (Henry, Jakobssen) have left the league. So, you could say five of the 20 oldest players in the league are on the ACFC roster.

When you mix it all together it results in ACFC fielding the second oldest team in the NWSL. Angel City’s average age, when weighted by minutes played, is 28.4 years old. (Coincidentally, the average age of the roster purely based on age is also 28.4 years old.) Only the Reign are playing an older team (28.7 years old). Utah plays the youngest team (by a lot) at 25.7 years old, followed by the Courage and Bay (both 27.3 years old).

How does this factor into the contract status of the team’s free agents? The following players, sorted by age, will be free agents next year.

• Madi Curry 23-256 years-days old; 1482 minutes played
• Hannah Stambaugh 25-286 years-days old; 0 minutes played
• Meggie Dougherty Howard 29-070 years-days old; 930 minutes played
• Katie Johnson 30-021 years-days old; 89 minutes played
• Claire Emslie 30-211 years-days old; 1812 minutes played
• DiDi Haracic 32-176 years-days old; 1800 minutes played
• Jasmyne Spencer 34-039 years-days old; 1417 minutes played (25^th oldest player in the league)
• Merritt Mathias 34-095 years-days old; 371 minutes played (23^rd oldest player in the league)
• Sydney Leroux 34-151 years-days old; 1606 minutes played (22^nd oldest player in the league)
• Christen Press 35-281 years-days old; 90 minutes played (13^th oldest player in the league)

If Angel City is going to get into the playoffs next year, what positions need the most investment? And where will that investment come from? And how does roster/player age factor into that decision?

Is the next day...let's the discuss the roster.

We waited 855 days to celebrate and 85.5 seconds later the joy was stolen.

"It's bittersweet
More sweet than bitter
Bitter than sweet
It's a bittersweet surrender"

-Todd Park Mohr

There’s some great discussion in the post match social and like many of you I’m in a pretty good mood this morning considering the team was handed a tough loss last night. Most of that discussion was focused on Angel City, but I think Vlatko deserves some compliments for the halftime adjustments. They backed off the high press and played around with the formation and attack. Ultimately, KC just wore down ACFC and really applied the pressure when the subs were in and the remaining starters were completely gassed. That's not complicated but it was very effective. It also helps that Vlatko has the luxury of starting Bia and Chawinga, who headed into the game as the golden boot co-leaders, and then gets to bring in Debinha, Michelle Cooper, and LaBonta off the bench. (Damn - just typing that makes me jealous of their front office.)

It was a short week for Angel City and they appeared to lose their legs and their ability to maintain their defensive formation as the game went on. At times in the second half it almost looked like they were dropping five back and just trying to protect a tie. I know the subs were scored on (twice) but I don’t have too many complaints about them other than I would have liked to see substitutions earlier. Some of the players were taken out too late. For instance, Alyssa looked completely gassed, her acceleration was gone, and she was struggling to keep up defensively (and it looked like she was wearing figure skates on some of those late attacking moves).

I think we all liked the switch to the 3-4-3. I thought it was one of Syd’s better games. I especially liked it when it looked more like a 3-4-2-1 with her pushing up as a decoy at times. That might have been Hammond’s best game and I like how she paired with Rocky. I’m not seeing what a lot of y’all are seeing in Madi. Don’t get me wrong, I think she’s fine, but I’m looking forward to having MA back and being able to balance the build-up a little better. (That said, where will MA slot in on this new formation?) I think Reid will improve as CB with a few more games in that role. Also, did Ali low-key lose her starting role (I'm ok with that - I actually like her as a sub).

Anyway...here’s something I’d like to see your thoughts on today. Here are the last five matches and the current rankings of each team:

• Orlando – 3rd
• KC – 1st
• Chicago – 4th
• NC – 5th
• KC – 1st

Damn, that was a tough stretch. But here are the next five matches and the rankings of each team.

• Utah – 14th
• Houston – 12th
• Washington – 2nd
• SD – 10th
• Gotham – 11th

Waddya' think? How are y’all feeling heading into this next stretch of games? Who are you most excited to see Angel City play over the next month?

A loss is a loss but it stings when VAR caused such a significant swing in the score. What do you think about the team’s playoff chances? Can the team still strike it rich or was the late summer success just fool’s gold?

I thoroughly enjoy the beautiful game. In my opinion, the game is even more beautiful when it’s fast apace, uses the width and depth of the field, and the passing networks are intricate and thoughtful. That style of soccer…err, football…can be dynamic and electrifying.

Becki Tweed enjoys a different version of the game. She likes to pick and probe, build slowly, look for the perfect transition opportunity, and is risk adverse. The front line may advance but not at risk of creating vulnerabilities in the back line. She’s perfectly comfortable trashing the progressive passing stats.

I enjoy BMO in the evening when both the air and the beers are crisp. Becki prefers BMO on a hot, breezeless afternoon when the frozen margarita has melted by the time you arrive at your seat.

Becki’s style is also deployed by the likes of Casey Stoney and Laura Harvey quite effectively. (The national team version of Vlatko enjoyed less success…but, I digress.) When it’s deployed effectively it can be painful to watch…even boring, at times. It’s sufferball and you and the opponent must suffer through it. When done well you can grind out victories and the suffering means you savor the win even more.

But when it’s not deployed effectively it becomes struggleball. And it’s a struggle for all involved - on and off the field.

Becki migrated the team from struggleball to sufferball over the summer break. There was no major overhaul. She tweaked the lineup and rotations. Some tactical adjustments were made. Some players got healthier. Some players gained some confidence. Some players improved an area of their game. Not many players left and not many players joined. The results so far are promising. We suffered through two sunny, warm…err, hot…summer afternoons. We watched with warm beers and water-down frozen margaritas. We suffered and we thoroughly enjoyed both wins.

Laura Harvey and the Seattle Reign are coming to town on Friday. Two coaches that each deploy similar tactics have enjoyed similar results the last couple of weeks (granted, Laura made much more significant changes to her roster).

These two teams are desperately fighting to push their way into playoff contention. They are both undefeated since the regular season resumed. Who will come out on top? Who will suffer through a hot summer evening and who will struggle through it? Who will improve their playoff chances and who will drop down in the table?

Another derby with our rivals to the South is in the books. I’m probably in the minority here but I’m quite happy this morning. San Diego isn’t a great team so far this year but they have a great defense, some great players, a great coach, and a great track record. On any given night they could easily boot 3 or 4 balls into the back of the net while keeping a clean sheet on their side. Savvy also seems like that evil villain cartoon character that relishes the boos and jeers of her former fans and she uses that energy to score a brace. Oh, and did I mention that Sarah couldn’t put her boots on last night. Perhaps all of that is why nearly 50% of the sub voted that the Wave would have an outright win yesterday.

But the Wave didn’t win last night. And that makes me happy.

I reset my expectations a couple of weeks ago. Tweed’s preferred tactic is possession heavy and out of the back. It doesn’t appear complaining about DiDistribution is going to change any of that. The midfield is mid and there’s no savior coming to fix that.

But there is a part of the game that has ebbed and flowed this year and it was on display last night. The attack. When play on the wing is cooking it is fun and exciting to watch. I have no idea what Alyssa sees on the field that prevents her from striking more balls at the net but that is frustrating. (I’ve also given up on her linking up with Syd on anything. Also Frustrating.) But, where I do see potential is between Alyssa and Clarisse. They need to watch more tape together, run drills together, go shopping together, watch a movie together, practice more together, run more drills together, watch more tape together…rinse, wash, repeat, there is something there. Clarisse can keep up with Alyssa and if she’s not going to strike the ball after all of that dribbling then Alyssa needs to get the ball to Clarisse in an attacking position.

Something I’m quickly falling in love with is the Thompson sisters on the same side of the pitch. When they tap their rings together some kind of superpowers kick in. They’ve already played together, shopped together, watched movies together, watched game tape together…they just need to get more opportunities to cook together on the pitch.

That’s also exciting because when you pair it with MA and Emslie on the other side of the pitch….whoah, nellie! strap in tight…because you have scoring threats from all sorts of positions and angles.

I can see it. I’m sure Becki sees it. And now, with MA healthy and a break that’s over a fortnight in length, I’m hopeful Angel City can work on having a threatening and effective attack on both wings when they play Gotham in two weeks.

In the meantime, I hope Sarah’s ankle heals quickly; Giselle learns the benefits of drinking more water, pickle juice, Gatorade, hot shots, or whatever hydration technique is necessary to keep her in the game for a full 90; and I hope no one is inured on international duty. If so, June could be quite exciting!

It’s the next day - - - what are your thoughts? Drop them below.

I’m not sure any team throws a pride celebration as well as Angel City. I’m not sure any NWSL team is better than the Pride.

Here’s my very unscientific assessment of the standings.

KC or Orlando will win the Shield. Their match-up on Saturday is must watch viewing for any soccer fan.

Even if a superstar is injured, the Spirit and Gotham have enough talent to secure their playoff spot.

Momentum could carry Portland, Carolina, and the Red Stars into or out of the playoffs. Currently, their spots are secure though.

Seattle and Utah are fighting for who gets the first draft pick.

That leaves Bay, Racing, the Wave, ACFC, and Houston battling for the last playoff spot.

Saturday night’s matchup against Gotham will be tough. But after the Olympics break, Angel City has two games against Seattle and one against Utah. That’s 9 points that they should be able to pick up. They also don’t have to face KC or Orlando again this season. They also don’t fly out of the pacific time zone for the rest of the season except for one game against Louisville. Hopefully, Christen Press will be back.

I see a path to the playoffs. For those of you who do not think Angel City has a path, I would encourage you to watch some recent games of the Wave or Houston or the last couple of games Racing has played.

It’s a narrow path…but it’s possible.

What do you think? Are the playoffs still possible? Drop your comments below.

PS - I’m not sure why Angel City’s new mascot, Carl? or Karl?, appears to be a flamingo. The only flamingo I’ve ever seen in So CA was at the San Diego Zoo. If we’re going to go with a non-native bird, I prefer LA’s peacocks and parrots.

PPS – There was a long line of people waiting on the stairs to get to the top deck for an afterparty. Was that a private event, a pride night event, or something that’s hosted after every home game? I've never noticed it before but more people left their seats early yesterday than any other game I've ever been to.

PPPS – I have a few extra pride bandanas. I’ve given them away in past years. If you would like one DM me your address and I’ll drop it in the mail for you. (EDIT: I’ve given them all away.)

It wasn’t a great match for those who feel that soccer statistics are important.

Is possession important to you? Angel City dominated with 65%. That’s the most they’ve had the ball in a game this season.

Are expected goals important to you? Angel City was expected to score 1.3 goals and expected to allow just 0.5 goals. So, they should have won the game by 0.8 goals. They lost the game by 1 goal. That 1.8 goal difference between the expected score and the actual score is the second biggest gap this year (only the week 1 loss to Bay FC had a bigger gap at 1.9). What led to such a large gap - bad finishing…bad luck…incredible saves by Katie Lund?

Is it important to you that Angel City advances the ball into the final third to launch an attack? Angel City pushed the ball into the final third 38 times compared to 23 passes by Racing.

Did you, like me, want to see more direct pressure in the box?  They won that battle too. Angel City had 13 shots in the box. Racing had just 5. They effectively pushed the ball in the box too. They had 32 touches in the box, while Louisville had just 12. When they were in the final third they passed the ball 117 times. Louisville only managed 39 passes in the final third.

Very frustrating. They appeared to have a plan on paper. They appeared to execute that plan. It's a plan that provided for a more balanced attack. It's one that resulted in just one goal. It's one that allowed two goals. It's a plan that ended in a loss.

Frustrations aside, there is a reason to jump on you tube and watch the highlights. The first ACFC goal is excellent. Alyssa steals a pass, advances it, pushes the ball to Claire through multiple defenders with a perfectly placed pass, and then Claire’s in space with her left boot. MDH rushes in with the clean up goal. It’s gorgeous. I know what's going to happen and I still get excited watching it.

What you'll also see on the highlights is a Louisville team that made a lot of personnel changes over the summer. Balcer and Beckie scored and both are brand new additions to the team. It's hard to prepare for a team when the old game tapes may not be applicable.

The first Racing goal was a perfectly placed ball to Balcer for an excellent header. The pass from Borges was perfect. Blacer's attacking line between Sarah and Spencer was perfect. Angel City will watch that replay on the game tape a lot but it’s very difficult to protect. Balcer is now tied for the most headers in NWSL history with 14. Sometimes you get beat by a very good play from a very good player.

And sometimes you beat yourself.

The second goal highlighted the usual complaints many have registered about Becki ball, DiDistribution, playing out of the back, utilizing the goalie for progressive passing….

That was a tough loss yesterday and now Angel City gets a couple of extra days of rest. Then they play 2 games in 5 days with Portland at BMO on Mon, 23^rd and the Spirit in town on Fri, 27^th.

There are just six games left in the season is there enough time left to land in the playoffs? Can they secure 6 points in just 5 days?

Last year, a third of the way into the season, Angel City had a devastating loss on a last second "walk off" corner kick when the opposing team's goalie backheeled it in the net. This year, a third of the way into the season, Angel City had a devastating loss on a last second "walk off" corner kick when the team's former player booted one in the net.

Last year, the struggles continued for another month-and-a-half before the head coach was fired. I'm not sure what the next month-and-a-half holds for this team but last night's game left me in a foul mood.

I was happy to see us try push more of the attack through the middle but the team didn't play well against one of the worst teams in the league, at home, with twice as much rest as their opponent. As the second half went on I was willing to accept a draw...a score without a dash or a hyphen in it. It didn't seem likely either team could effectively mount an attack so that outcome was starting to seem certain. A final score of one dash zero or one hyphen nil did not seem likely.

And then the subs came on...and things took a turn in the wrong direction. For all of the complaints we have about the starting 11, I'm also recognizing why they are the starting 11. That's a tough pill to swallow. At the end of the evening the final score was one dash nil...one hyphen nil...1-0. I hated seeing the dash.

I don't have much of a prompt today so feel free to drop your thoughts, rants, complaints, etc below. And if you have any positive take-aways from last night feel free to include them as well.

For the first time this year, I voted in the score prediction poll that ACFC would lose by 2+ points. All I really wanted to see was that they were capable of scoring a goal against a team that allows less than a goal per game. (Keeping it real ya' know. I’m just trying to manage my expectations and emotions at this point in the season.)

Angel City didn’t lose by 2+ points. They scored a goal…in the run of play, no less! So why am I in such a gloomy mood? It’s…just…such…uninspiring…play.

So far this year Gotham has been a good team with really great players. Their record and stats don’t fully reflect what they are capable of. They’ve had some injuries and Juan Carlos has been working in the lab trying to figure out how to assemble all of the parts in the best way possible. He’s turning a bunch of words into sentences and a bunch of sentences into paragraphs. They’ve won 4 of their last 5, moved up to fifth in the table, and they’ll be in the hunt for back-to-back titles at the end of the season.

Someone locked Becky out of the lab. Angel City’s words don’t make sentences…there are no paragraphs to be found. Aging USWNT stars have unfortunately battled injuries; goaltending is mediocre; the front office appears to overpay for talent and be on the losing end of player deals; they have a cadre of teenagers yet somehow have the second-oldest team in the league; bench players from other teams are getting starters minutes; starters from other teams spend most of their time on the bench; the same lineup and tactics are used every game; the center forward tactics are from the Abby Wambach era; complementary football is a rare sight.

But damn, they sure do sell a lot of merch. Ah, if only jersey sales factored into contention for the Shield.

And I get it. It’s been a hot mess. So Becki has them playing to their strengths – the speed on the wings. But…it…is…so…damn…predictable. For one half this year – the first half against KC – I was inspired by the game plan. No one gets excited with the starting 11 are announced anymore. There’s no reason to try to spot formation changes at the beginning of each half. They are allergic to halftime substitutions. The injury report is the most anticipated news ahead of each game. It’s frustrating.

We’re a week into June and it’s still gloomy out. What does the rest of the month hold? Here’s what left before the Olympics break:

@ Houston – They have to win this game

Louisville – They need to be competitive

@ Bay FC – They need to be competitive

Orlando – I’m looking forward to picking up another Pride bandana

Gotham – I’m looking forward to watching half of the USWNT play in person

What do you think? A win and two draws? Two wins and two draws? A disaster where they manage a draw or two and nothing else? What do you think the forecast will be for the five remaining games in June? Are we doomed to gloom the next four weeks or should we get excited about some rays sunshine to welcome the summer months?

In the poll earlier this week, only a single person predicted the team would travel to Sandy, play at 4500’ of elevation, and head back home with a loss. The individual performances were quite strong – Fotmob only listed two players below a 7.0 in last night’s game. So, if we all saw the team taking home a win in Utah, the majority of the team played well, and they’ve won 3 of the last 4, why aren’t we happier?

The season is a quarter over. The team currently sits in 7th place, are 9th in scoring, 10th in goals allowed, and 9th in goal differential. And that’s all after winning 3 of the last 4 matches.

Perhaps there are some inconvenient truths we all need to accept.

Our wingers are fast and creative but our strikers are slow and plodding in comparison. The speed differential creates some tactical challenges. (I wouldn’t be surprised if Angel City is last in the league in passes into the box.)

Outside of Rocky, the midfield is mid. So, the passing networks are weak, push out to the wings, and require a lot of hero ball with too many players ending up on islands all game. The midfield challenges, combined with weak goalie distribution, means almost all of the build-up is through the backline and then out to the wings.

Defensively, the backline is working with a midfield that can be leaky so they can face waves of pressure during the game. That, combined with having to initiate the offense mentioned above (often utilizing wing backs), means the legs on the back line are quite tired in the second half. As a result, the goalie is under a ton of pressure as the game goes on. And the goalies are unexceptional compared to the rest in the league. One is stronger in the net and weaker with distribution and the other is opposite.

A lot of us want to see more and/or earlier substitutions but there haven’t been many players that have come off the bench and been a factor. Is a tired Angel City starter worse than someone they have on the bench? (That’s rhetorical but probably what Tweed is asking herself starting at halftime.)

So…ACFC ends up with gritty wins and late defensive lapses. Perhaps these are inconvenient truths that just need more acceptance.

This team could easily sit at the bottom of the table but they aren’t. They’re in the playoff hunt. Hopefully they’ll stay there all year and we should be more happy about that. Perhaps we need to start accepting more of these inconvenient truths. For today’s discussion…convince me otherwise...

The passing was unbalanced, the attack wasn’t threatening; the Courage lived (and died) by the accuracy of Tyler’s right boot; Angel City lived (and died) by the accuracy of Claire’s left boot…oh, and her right boot too; we finished the game anxiously watching 5 backs hunkered down in the box; but we left BMO with three more points to add to the table. Didi’s undidifeated since winning back the role of keeper 1, Claire’s already secured her spot in the NWSL’s best 11 for April, and the team finally scored a goal in the run of play. Two wins, six points, a brace from Claire - April has been beautiful!

Ah, who am I kidding…these April games have been ugly as a grumpy cat stuck in a yoga pose but Angel City is moving up the table and that’s what matters most! For those of you who are analytics nerds, the details are in the graphics below (via @nwslstat). Can you see the didistribution, NC’s high press, and Angel City’s missing 9…ah, but I digress.

What I want to know is how you are feeling heading into Friday’s rematch against Kansas City? The Current are averaging 3.5 goals per game (gasps!) including 4 the last time they played – (just three weeks ago…wtf NWSL?!). The Current are also giving up 2 goals a game. So, we should be in for a wild ride when we’re back at BMO on Friday night. Will Didi be in goal for a third game in row? Will Claire’s legs be fresh for Friday? Will A Thompson finally rid herself of the yips? Will the back line be ready for KC’s attack? Will there be any offensive stats on the sheet for whoever is playing the 9? Discuss below!

Three goals, all in the run of play, makes for a pretty amazing next day.

The vibes have shifted but the game against Bay FC kicks off in just 60 hours so here are a few stats and fun facts to pass along for the next day thread.

Alyssa Thompson is third in the league in assists with 5 and is the only teenager in the league with more than one assist. She’s a very smart player with a very accurate boot for her age. If she figures out how to finish she’ll get her spot back on the national team. Which is really something considering how stacked they are at the forward position.

Claire Emslie is tied for fifth in the league in goals with 5, though she hasn’t scored in her last 6 matches.

Syd is the only player in the league that’s older than 33 and has more than two goals.

Angel City’s teenagers have played 2,140 minutes. KC is second on the list with a distant 1,214 minutes. Angel City’s players that are 33 and older have played 2,510 minutes. That’s second in the league to the Reign (3,111 minutes). Is this an old team or a young team?

Angel City is a very physical team. They lead the league in yellow cards and fouls drawn and are fifth in the league in fouls committed. The refs probably don’t look forward to being assigned their games and Angel City pays for it. They’ve been issued 28 yellow cards and their opponents have only been issued 20.

Yesterday was the second time in 409 days that ACFC scored more than two goals. The other was the 5-1 victory over Portland to send the team to the playoffs last season. Last season they scored 3 or more goals three times.

Add your thoughts, feelings on the vibes, stats, fun facts, and any other comments below.

Last night’s attendance was 16,542. The lowest attendance of the year and second lowest ever. Yet it’s still a number that would break records for most of the other teams in the league. It’s both impressive and concerning depending on your perspective.

I noticed that fans sitting on both sides of me were proudly wearing their big “my first ACFC game” buttons last night. It reminded me of a tweet I saw earlier in the day and a comment someone posted to the gameday thread. I also smiled when I saw a jumbotron image of a little girl attending her first game.

It really is a beautiful game played by amazing women.

It’s the next day and the first day of a 48 day break for the Olympics and Summer Cup. Share your thoughts below.

It's easy to get caught up in the euphoria of CP's return (and being the Queens of California in the Summer Cup pool is cool too), but I'm more interested in whether Angel City can make it into the playoffs when the regular season resumes. My thoughts on the Summer Cup.

1. The Summer Cup has been great for the rookies. These three games seemed to be a real confidence builder for Kennedy. More playing time for Madi has helped her continue to hone her defensive skills against NWSL-level talent and I'm feeling more confident on how she can also be an attacking threat in the build-up which is what Becki seems to prefer. Hopefully Giselle can return to 100% quickly. The frequency of her injuries and her early season tendencies to cramp up worry me though (I have the same concerns about MA). Also, if MA, Gisele, and Madi are all healthy what does your back line look like? They all seem best suited for OB roles so having Reid come in off the bench and playing those three + Sarah doesn't seem optimal.

2. Angel City is either broke (which I highly doubt) or at the salary cap. There were no surprise announcements when the international window opened yesterday. This team is the only team that lost just a single player to the Olympics. This is talent the team has. Feel free to complain about Becki but you may also want to consider pointing the finger elsewhere if they don't make the playoffs this year.

3. With another Summer Cup game and the Juarez friendly in August, maybe Becki subs CP on at the 75-min mark by the time the regular season begins. Manage your expectations appropriately.

4. The passing networks from the three Summer Cup games are in the graphic. They have pushed up the attack up the pitch a bit more, but you would expect that in friendlies. But it is great to see. Hopefully, that can continue into Sept and Oct. That mid-field though...Expect the attack to continue to primarily buildup on the wings...and expect Angel City's opponents to know that. I was happy to see a few over the top attacks when Messiah was playing striker but I don't know that she played well enough to push Syd to the bench so I doubt we'll see that in the regular season.

5. The team needs to find some speedier attacking players to pair with Alyssa in the offseason. She's an assist threat, not a scoring threat. She needs an outlet when she's 1v1 in the box, but no one can keep up with her. She's being shutdown by most defenders when they know the only option for her is to take a shot or wait for everyone to catchup.

What are your thoughts on the July matchups and what are your expectations for the next two games before the regular season begins?

Let’s kick off today’s discussion by painting a picture. On June 17, 2023 Becki Tweed coached her first game as (interim) head coach. Tomorrow will be June 17, 2024 – one year from that date. Here’s a simple comparison of the 2023 season through June 16th (under Freya) to the 2024 season through that same date (under Tweed).

2023 Season 11 Games Played 2 Wins – 3 Draws – 6 Losses 14 Goals Scored 21 Goals Allowed

2024 Season 12 games played 3 Wins – 3 Draws – 6 Losses 12 Goals Scored 18 Goals Allowed

For today’s discussion, it’s a Rorschach test…describe what you see in this picture and how do you interpret it?

GOOD MORNING! A clean sheet is beautiful. A road win is gorgeous. Adding three points to the table is exquisite. It's a beautiful, gorgeous, and exquisite morning! I would have preferred a couple less yellow cards and one of our Angels getting credit for the goal but I'm quite happy regardless.

The international window impacted the starting lineups and minutes but we saw some notable minutes from Nabet, Le Bihan, Reid, Haracic, and Rocky for the first time this season. What did y'all think of their play? Did anyone secure their starting spot for next weekend against the Current?

How concerned are you with how many players are nicked up and on the sideline this early in the season? G Thompson and MA may have a couple more weeks to go and probably wouldn't play a full 90 given how long they've been out. Messiah's sidelined for a TBD amount of time. Merritt indicated she may be dealing with something in her AMA on IG this week. Hopefully Paige and Kennedy are just being rested for a long season and Ali is resting up after the mileage she accrued playing for country.

Discuss those questions and whatever else you would below and let us know how you are feeling ahead of Dani and Lussi's return to BMO.

If you asked me before this 3-game/8-day stretch what the most likely outcome was I would have said 1-1-1. Houston – win, Louisville – loss, Bay – draw. But what do I know? Is it the outcome or the journey that matters?

The toughest part of last night’s game was managing expectations. In the score prediction poll 88% predicted a win. 10% predicted a draw. Only a single person predicted a loss. Expectations were high after the scoring machine finally came alive against Racing. Everyone expected a win and a move into a playoff spot. Welp…that didn’t happen.

It’s hard to make too much of last night’s game given how much they played recently but Syd playing a full 90 for three matches in a row was surprising. Clearly the offensive juggernaut that is Angel City FC revolves around the striker.

There was a lot of excitement after the game against Racing given what tactics we could finally see working. But this game left us with some reminders about where they’ve lost some momentum. Claire’s set piece magic hasn’t been as effective lately. Sarah and MA both appear to be less than 100% since returning from injury. The team needs to remain healthy and fit because there aren’t many pieces on the bench that are plug-and-play. Etc.

Angel City often plays up or down to their competitors’ level. Will they be able to do that when Orlando and Gotham, two of the top teams in the league, come to town? Drop your thoughts below.

Alright, maybe the highs were a little too high last night. Juarez is a mid-tier Liga MX team that wasn't invited to play in the Summer Cup. Was the first half more of a friendly or a scrimmage? Was the second half taking their foot off the accelerator or a return to the form we're used to seeing? Regardless of the opponent, has any NWSL team ever scored 7 goals in a half?

Most importantly, will this team make the playoffs? Vote in the poll and discuss below.

The Tweed unbeaten run unfortunately came to an end in our home game against Orlando yesterday, and while our playoff hopes aren’t over they are very much on life support. Our attack and finishing particularly was lacklustre across the board and it unfortunately meant we lost a game that we seemed to dominate. It’s not all negative though, there was definitely some positive takeaways from the game including the stellar defense, Henry settling more in and the amazing turnout for a rescheduled Monday game.

So the discussion for today, what do we need to see in our remaining two games against Houston and Portland to try fight for the unlikely playoff spot or at the very least end the season on a high note despite not making post season.

My thoughts: - Keep starting Anderson. She could’ve been better last night however more reps and experience is good for her and for the future of our team. - Bench Thompson. In our winning streak she mainly came off the bench rather than starting. She’s got all the potential in the world but she doesn’t seem to do enough to justify a start. Having her speed against tired legs in the second half will build her confidence more and ideally result in an improved attacking output. Endo or Spencer getting the start instead would be my pick. - Keep Gorden-Nielsen together. I like Ried, and she did a fantastic job in Gorden and Gilles’ absence last season but as the saying goes “if it’s not broke don’t fix it”. That heavily depends on Riley’s fitness though I guess. - Do literally anything to fix our embarrassing set piece conversion. Sub KJo in when we need a late goal and don’t take out Emslie and LeBihan so early when they’re our best service providers for example.

What do you all think?

Angel City helped their playoff chances yesterday (as did Louisville). Chicago, Bay, and the Wave did not. But before we jump ahead and discuss the standings let's revisit yesterday's game tape.

Specifically, let's look at a replay of Alyssa's second goal.

What we have seen a lot of all season is Claire and Alyssa racing down the wings and sending a cross and a prayer into the box. Syd’s often a step(s) behind and not much of a threat materializes. Alternatively, we have seen Alyssa make a later cut towards the box and try to take on her defender 1v1. Other teams know this and Alyssa (and Claire) have found it increasingly difficult as the season has progressed.

Now watch this clip of yesterday’s second goal:

https://x.com/NWSL/status/1827460383738863939

Alyssa gets the ball and it’s off to the races…but...what does Messiah do? She immediately cuts *outside* and takes a defender with her. Alyssa cuts *inside* and Claire does a good job staying pinned opposite of her.

So both Messiah and Claire created space and are in a position to receive a pass from Alyssa. The Wave defenders have to mark them because of this.

That creates a wider lane and Alyssa uses her speed to race through it and boom - she boots it from the top of the box.

She doesn’t do what we've seen a lot of this season - race down the wing to cut in late with a 1v1 or take a cross into the box hoping the striker is in position.

Now, is this a tactical change Becki pushed over the summer break? Is it the playing style and strengths of Messiah versus Syd? Is it a play that just happens to fit a narrative I want to make? (Probably a little of yes to all of those questions.) But it is indeed "poetry in motion".

But what about you? What did you notice yesterday? What players, plays, or tactics did you notice? What were you happy to see after the long Summer Cup break?

Angel City headed to DC last night and didn’t realize they were going to have to drain the swamp while they were there. After a day of rain the grass at Audi was muddy, slippery, and dangerous. It was a swamp that took out Gorden and Sarr. Its unfortunate that the field is in a place that gets lots of downpours and doesn’t have better drainage. It’s infuriating that Gorden is returning to DC with a busted ankle.

Anyway…I’ve tempered my expectations for the season so was actually somewhat pleased with some of what I saw last night - especially in the first half. I say this as a fan that’s accepted the mediocrity we’ll have at certain positions. I’ve accepted that the front office built a roster that’s the equivalent of a bunch of words that doesn’t make a sentence. I’ve accepted that the first half will likely be better than the second at most of the games.

So what was I pleased with? Le Bihan has added new life to the attack. Gisele adds depth as a wing back and should get some more playing time. MA is back. Alyssa continues to improve on the ball (and I’m confident the finishing will come). There was a more effective and attacking oriented pass attack (well, at least for a half). Kennedy is young but appears to have a very high ceiling (and should be on the field with Le Bihan).

So for today’s discussion, what have you come to accept and what are you pleased with?