KANSAS CITY, MO (August 1, 2026) - Navigating a hot summer evening and one of the toughest road environments in the NWSL, Angel City Football Club (ACFC) picked up a point against the Kansas City Current with a 1-1 draw at CPKC Stadium on Saturday night.
Forward Taylor Suarez scored her first professional goal on the first-ever NWSL assist for midfielder Carina Lageyre. Goalkeeper Angelina Anderson made six saves, limiting the potent Kansas City attack.
With the draw, Angel City remains in playoff position with 23 points. The club moved to 3-1-1 under the tenure of Interim Head Coach Leif Gunnar Smerud.
“It was good to get that point, and on an away trip, it felt important and good for the mentality and the spirit of the group as well,” Smerud said, adding, “It's a skill to play these away games against good teams, and this was a confirmation of the character of the group.”
Suarez scored the opening goal of the game in the 14th minute. Lageyre slipped the ball through the Current’s back line to Suarez as the attacker ran into the box, and Suarez deposited a low right-footed shot past Kansas City netminder Marisa Jordan.
“[Lageyre] is a great passer and has great vision, so I knew that if I could find myself in the right spot, she would [get] me the ball, and that's exactly what she did,” Suarez said. “She played me a perfect through ball, and I knew I had to finish it right then and there.”
ACFC controlled the run of play in the first 20 minutes, holding over 60% of possession.
Forward Haley Hopkins equalized for the Current in the 26th minute. She received a lofted cross from defender Izzy Rodriguez at the edge of the six-yard box and finished with a left-footed volley to tie the score at 1-1.
But Angel City’s stalwart defense stepped up for the remainder of the half.
Anderson made an important save in the 33rd minute, pushing away a rising shot from Kansas City attacker Amelia White that seemed to be heading for the top-right corner of the ACFC net.
And defender Gisele Thompson provided a critical tackle on Current forward Debinha in the 45th minute, running back to prevent the Brazilian attacker from getting off a shot from very close range.
“It was very important for us that we left our hearts out on the field, and I feel like that's what we did today,” Suarez said.
Anderson put forth a valiant effort in keeping Kansas City from scoring in the second half.
The ACFC goalkeeper denied midfielder Rocky Rodríguez in the 60th minute, extending for a stellar one-handed save.
Anderson added a highlight-reel stop on Kansas City midfielder Croix Bethune in the 76th minute. The netminder dove to her left to deny Bethune with both hands and stayed in position to prevent the Current from capitalizing on the follow-up attempt.
“It spreads a [sense] of security and a good vibe, a feeling that we have someone behind us taking care of the shots, especially from distance,” said Smerud of Anderson’s goalkeeping performance. “So we try to force the shots to come from certain areas, and we know that [Anderson] is good at [stopping those].”
Suarez, Thompson and midfielder Ally Sentnor, who was making her first visit to CPKC Stadium since a June trade from the Current to Angel City, provided moments of offensive brilliance in the second half.
Sentnor made a dazzling play in the 51st minute, spinning around and in between multiple Current defenders before laying the ball off to Suarez for a shot from the left side that had Jordan scrambling for the save.
Thompson lofted a perfectly placed cross to Suarez in the 69th minute, finding the attacker unmarked in the penalty box. But Suarez’s header went over the crossbar.
Sentnor generated a scoring chance from a tough angle in the 82nd minute. She volleyed the ball past Jordan from just wide of the left post, but no ACFC player was ultimately able to get onto the bouncing ball at the goal line.
“Ally's obviously a great player, and we've been working on our connection throughout the season since she got here,” Suarez said, adding, “That momentum started to click in the second half.”
Defender Sophia Mattice made her first professional start and played the entire match. Mattice made her season debut against Racing Louisville FC last Sunday and earned NWSL Assist of the Week honors.
Angel City will play its next match away from BMO Stadium as well, taking on Seattle Reign FC at Lumen Field at 6 p.m. PT on Sunday, August 9. The match will be televised on ESPN.