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NWSL Angel City FC

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

July 31, 2024 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release


LOS ANGELES - Angel City Football Club (ACFC) prepared this week to face SoCal rival San Diego Wave FC at Titan Stadium on the campus of Cal State Fullerton for their final NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup group stage match tomorrow. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. PT/10:00 p.m. ET. The match will stream live on CBSSN and Paramount+, air on ESPN on Disney+ in exclusive territories, and internationally on NWSL+.

Below please find the match preview and quotes from the club's Head Coach Becki Tweed and Rookie forward Casey Phair:

ACFC Rookie Forward Casey Phair

Her thoughts and reflection on her professional debut:

"It was a really exciting moment for me. I've been working really hard, not just these past couple of months, but this whole season. My goal was to play and to make my debut, which was something that I've been waiting for a long time. It's really exciting and I'm looking forward to playing more games."

On the feeling of getting 26 minutes in a game opposed to practice:

"It was really fun to feel their energy and also just be in that atmosphere. Bay has a pretty good crowd and we were winning 2-0 when I went in. The vibe of the game and being out there with my teammates and working hard with them was really fun and exciting."

On the ACFC team environment with the great mix of young and veteran players:

"It's helped me develop really quickly as a player, but also it's helped me adapt to being a professional. With the mix of the younger players and older players, it's been a really interesting environment, and that just makes it so much more desirable. I could see why so many people would want to be at Angel City, especially for someone my age."

"I have really good friends that are only a year or two older than me. I also have such amazing veterans that have played at the high level, they've been there and they've done everything. Just having that mix of both young players and veterans has been really helpful for me developing as a player and a person."

"What's really special about Angel City is that our veterans are really encouraging and all they want is for you to succeed. They'll offer you help before you even have to ask. Both Christen [Press] and Sydney Leroux have been so encouraging throughout my whole time at Angel City and we play similar positions."

"They've just helped me to learn little things that I probably wouldn't have learned if I was still playing at a youth club. I'm really lucky that the veterans that we have on our team are so kind and willing to help."

ACFC Head Coach Becki Tweed

On the importance of the SoCal rivalry match against San Diego Wave FC:

"Any time that we play San Diego it's going to be competitive. It has a little bit more than just a regular game. Rivalry games are really healthy and a really important part of the growth of women's sports for sure."

"It's going to be good, similar to the Challenge Cup last year. There's everything to play for in both teams and we just have to go into this game with the same mindset as every other game. Getting a good result against the Bay was huge and that's two wins in a row. We'll be looking to continue off of that."

On San Diego's lineup and what to expect from them:

"They went with a coaching change a couple of weeks ago, so still trying to figure out what that's done to them and if it has changed anything. I went and watched a bunch of film and had a look at how that could potentially affect what they do against us."

"It's a rivalry game. A game of LA against San Diego. It's a game where you always have a point to prove and always want to continue to win rivalry games. Nothing really changes in that sense. We're aware of players that are away in this tournament and San Diego is missing a few players for sure, as are a lot of teams. That's something that we have to look to take advantage of."

On what the technical staff has been pleased about the most from the last two performances:

"What really has been noticeable, and I saw it at the Bay game more than ever, is the joy and the freedom that they've started to play with. We strive for this perfect style of play and you feel like you have to be perfect within a system as a player and honestly perfect in a game that has so much gray is not possible."

"Being able to take that and ask players to do what they're good at. Who are you as a player? What do you bring to this group? Why are you here? Can you bring that every single day and every single game?"

"We get really caught up in this modern day of trying to make people really well rounded humans and really well rounded athletes, when actually you got to this place because of something that you are elite at or something that you're good at. I think just trying to bring that out of every individual player has been our focus."

"Within that, you kind of get that fluidity and freedom within a structure. You see confidence grow. Being able to score four goals in the last two games and have four different goal scorers is also massive, but just growing in confidence, growing in being comfortable with the uncomfortable rather than so stressed and nervous about it."

MATCH PREVIEW VS. SAN DIEGO WAVE FC

Tomorrow, August 1 at 7:00 p.m., Angel City hosts San Diego Wave FC at Cal State Fullerton in the third group-stage match of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup. The game will be available on CBS Sports Network and Paramount+ in the US; on ESPN and Disney+ in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama; and elsewhere on NWSL+.

Matchup

This will mark Angel City's second matchup with San Diego this season. The two teams' last meeting, a regular season scoreless draw at home, was on May 23.

Angel City heads into this match having won their first two Summer Cup games. Their most recent result was a 2-0 win on the road at Bay FC, which saw a Bay own goal forced by defender Megan Reid in the 18th minute, followed by a 54th-minute goal by forward Claire Emslie. The game also saw the professional debut of forward Casey Phair, as well as the first professional assist for forward Messiah Bright, who set up Emslie's goal.

San Diego have a win and a loss in the tournament, with their most recent result being a 0-2 loss to Club América. Defender Karen Luna and forward Kiana Palacios were the goalscorers in that game.

Tournament Standings

The NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup is new this season as the league has phased out the midseason Challenge Cup contested in 2023. The tournament features all 14 NWSL teams, as well as the six Liga MX sides who earned the most combined points in Clausura and Apertura 2023. Those clubs are Tigres UANL, América, Chivas de Guadalajara, Rayadas de Monterrey, Pachuca, and Tijuana. Unique to the tournament is the absence of draws; games that are tied at the final whistle go straight to a penalty shootout, the winner of which is awarded two points.

The 30 teams have been split into five regional groups, where every team will play every other team once.

More information on the tournament, including a tournament bracket and complete schedule, can be found at nwslsoccer.com/summercup.

Of the five group winners, the four with the most points from the group stage will advance to the semifinals. With two wins under their belt, Angel City currently leads their group. The other group leaders are Kansas City, Gotham, and Louisville; Group A is currently tied four ways on points.

An Angel City win or win on penalties on Thursday gives the team a good chance of advancement to the semifinal, to be held next Tuesday, August 6, at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City.

The two semifinal winners will square off in the tournament final at Toyota field in San Antonio, Texas, on October 25.

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