The NWSL regular season is progressing quickly and, just like last season, Angel City Football Club is battling for a spot in the playoffs.
This season, instead of six of the 12 teams qualifying, eight of the 14-team league will advance to the playoffs.
Angel City (4 wins, 8 losses, 3 draws, 15 points) enters the final week before the Olympic break in 11th place, just three points behind Bay FC, who are vying for the final playoff spot.
Angel City has 11 games remaining, including a second-round matchup against defending champion NJ/NY Gotham FC on Saturday.
“We’ve got to keep the momentum going,” ACFC defender Merritt Mathias said after Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Orlando. “We’ve got to be at our best. That’s what we strive for as professional athletes. When we concede goals to opponents we shouldn’t concede, it puts us in a really tough situation. That’s the situation we’re in right now. I think we’ve got to fasten our seat belts and prepare for the challenges ahead.”
Of the remaining 11 games, Angel City will play six at home (Gotham, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Washington, Utah) and five on the road (San Diego, Racing Louisville, Seattle, North Carolina, Portland).
“I think there’s a recognition that at some point if we’re not winning games, people are going to stop investing in us,” Mathias said. “That’s what we do. … We want to win. It’s not for a lack of trying. Games like last Sunday and then next against Gotham, we’ve obviously got to get points against the Bay … We’ve got to win these games so we can carry the momentum moving forward.”
“It’s a lot of pressure for us as a team but we’ve got to go out there and we’ve got half the game down and we’ve got to start scoring.”
International Mission Call
The NWSL will be on a mandatory break starting Monday through July 14. It will be a busy break for several Angel City players due to call-ups for international matches.
Ali Riley will be heading off to join New Zealand for the upcoming Olympics, Alyssa Thompson (USA Women’s National Team), Claire Emslie (Scotland) and Rocky Rodriguez (Costa Rica) will be joining their national teams over the holidays, while Gisele Thompson will be joining the USA U-20 team for their match against Mexico, and Kennedy Fuller will be joining the USA U-17 team for their camp in Atlanta and their match against Brazil.
Summer Cup Schedule
Angel City will soon turn its attention to the inaugural NWSL-Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.
The tournament will run from July 18 to August 24, when NWSL play will be on hiatus. All 14 NWSL teams will participate, along with six Liga MX clubs: Tigres, América, Chivas, Monterrey, Pachuca and Tijuana.
Angel City is in Group B with San Diego Wave FC, Bay FC and Club America. Angel City will open the season against Club America at Titan Stadium at California State University, Fullerton on July 20. Their second game will be away against Bay FC on July 26. Their final group stage match will be against San Diego Wave FC at Titan Stadium on August 1.
NJ/NY Gotham FC vs Angel City FC
When: Saturday, 7pm
Location: BMO Stadium
Television: Aeon
