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Angel City FC

Angel City Football Club Quotes, Match Preview, and Game Notes Ahead of Home Match against San Diego Wave FC

May 22, 2024 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release


Tomorrow, May 23, at 7:00 p.m. Pacific, Angel City is back at home against their SoCal rivals, San Diego Wave FC. The match will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network and locally on Bally Sports SoCal. Radio broadcasts will be available in English on iHeart and in Spanish on 1330 AM Tu Liga Radio.

Fans attending the match are encouraged to wear black as part of Angel City's "Blackout the Wave" promotion.

Matchup

Last week, Angel City lost 2-4 on the road to the Washington Spirit. After a ninth-minute Trinity Rodman goal opened the scoring, Angel City notched two- a Washington own goal and a Sydney Leroux header- in the 20th and 23rd minutes. Rodman scored a second in the 30th minute, with two more for Washington, from Casey Krueger and Ouleymata Sarr, following soon after.

San Diego's last game was a 1-2 loss on the road to the league's other California team, Bay FC. After Kyra Carusa scored the opener for Wave in the 23rd minute, Bay forward Scarlett Camberos equalized in the second half. An own goal by San Diego defender Hanna Lundkvist late in regulation time sealed the win for the hosts.

The Wave are currently in eighth place with a 3-4-2 (W-L-D) record, while Angel City are just one point behind them in ninth with a 3-5-1 record.

All-time, the two Southern California teams are perfectly even: in the regular season, ACFC has recorded two wins, two losses, and zero draws, with the tally at 3-3-2 if the NWSL Challenge Cup- which in 2022 and 2023 was a two-stage tournament consisting of a regional round robin followed by a knockout round- is included.

The two clubs' most recent regular-season meeting was last June, a 2-1 win in San Diego for Angel City.

Scouting Report

One storyline to watch this week will be the return of former Angel City midfielder Savannah McCaskill to BMO Stadium for the first time since her move, in free agency, to San Diego over the offseason. McCaskill was a major contributor for ACFC, leading the team in scoring for each of the club's first two seasons. However, she has yet to make much of a mark in San Diego, with a single assist and no goals over nine appearances.

San Diego hasn't had a single player emerge as their major scoring threat, instead seeing contributions from multiple players across their front line and in the midfield. Forwards Jaedyn Shaw, Makenzy Doniak, and Kyra Carusa all have two goals, with Shaw also having recorded an assist. The 19-year-old Shaw made history when she signed with the Wave two years ago, as the league amended its rules to allow her to do so as a minor (it has since implemented a specific mechanism for U-18 players).

While ACFC and the Wave have nearly even overall records this season, Angel City has outperformed their rivals in away matches: LA has won twice on the road, while San Diego have earned just a single point away from home, a scoreless draw in Louisville.

California Roots

Despite having gained a presence in the NWSL just two years ago with the entry of Angel City and San Diego Wave in 2022, California has always been an incubator for soccer talent, and that history is reflected in the roster construction of both Southern California teams. Together, the two teams boast 15 players with California roots, though Angel City has twice as many, with 10 to San Diego's five.

Angelina Anderson, Madison Curry, Elizabeth Eddy, Katie Johnson, Lily Nabet, Christen Press, Megan Reid, Ali Riley, and Alyssa and Gisele Thompson are all California natives, while forward Sydney Leroux, a British Columbia native, played her college soccer at UCLA.

Alyssa Thompson, the LA native Angel City drafted first overall in 2023, contributed four goals in her rookie season. Although she has yet to get on the board in 2024, she's already beaten her 2023 assist total, with three so far. Thompson has also contributed more shots than any other Angel City player, with 11.

ACFC Forward Sydney Leroux

On how she has been able to build chemistry with forwards Alyssa Thompson and Claire Emslie leading to her three goals this season:

"All of my goals come from unbelievable service. That's what we work on, that's what we do. When we have extras after training, we work on those things and it's really nice when it comes to fruition and we see the results on the field. It's just about us building chemistry, continuing to build chemistry, and their service has been amazing."

On the upcoming rivalry match against San Diego Wave FC:

"It's a California team. We've made up that it's this rivalry game and I think that every single game we play should feel like a rivalry game. We need to bring that energy a little bit more, we need to do better, especially at home. We know that and we are really excited for tomorrow's game."

"We hope that it's going to be a turning point. We've seen really good things and good moments, and now we need to put it all together."

On her biggest motivation and major goals at this point in her career:

"My major goal would just be to continue to push. I would love to win a championship with Angel City, that would be number one."

"My motivation is that I still feel like I have a lot to give. I still have that same excitement to play and to fight and put my body on the line when I can. My motivation is also my family, my teammates, the fans, and just being able to continue to push myself."

On mentoring the young players on the squad:

"As a veteran you remember what it was like being young and what that feels like. Sometimes, I didn't always have that support and that's really important for us to be able to give that to them.

"I love our young players. I know how hard it is and what a jump it is to be playing in front of 22,000 people, knowing that it is tough. All I can do is try to help them as much as we can and I always want to do that."

ACFC Head Coach Becki Tweed

On the upcoming rivalry match against San Diego Wave FC:

"It's important to have rivalry games, and there's no better feeling than playing in one. Being able to be a part of it is massive. It's cool to see the fans get behind us when we're home, but even more so when we're on the road. It's such a special moment, and that is what we've been fighting for so long in women's sports to be a part of something that is so much bigger than just one game. It's incredible."

On San Diego's season so far:

"They've had a lot of players in and out, and they haven't been able to put together a consistent lineup based on the fact that they have had so many injuries to their bigger players. They're always organized and well coached."

"They won the shield last year for a reason, but they also have moments of vulnerability. This league is crazy and you never know what's going to happen. They are more direct and they may try to play more direct on us, we have to be prepared to win the first and second balls."

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