This Sunday, September 17, at 3:00 p.m. Pacific, Angel City is on the road against the Chicago Red Stars. The match will be broadcast in the US on CBS Sports Network and stream internationally at NWSLSoccer.com. An English-language radio broadcast will be available on iHeart.
For more information on broadcasts, click here.
Matchup
This will be Angel City's second meeting this season with the Red Stars. Their first was a 1–2 loss at home in June, which saw a goal by forward Sydney Leroux and a brace for Chicago forward Ava Cook.
Chicago are currently in 11th place with a 6–10–2 record (W–L–D). Their last match was a 2–0 win on the road against Washington in which defender Bianca St. Georges and midfielder Yuki Nagasato were the goalscorers.
Angel City are in eighth place with a 6–6–6 record. Their last game was a 1–0 win on the road against Kansas City. A goal by forward Jasmyne Spencer—her first for Angel City—made the difference. The win kept the team's undefeated streak alive, bringing it to ten across all competitions and seven in the regular season.
Scouting Report
The Red Stars have struggled throughout the season, but a win last week against a team in playoff position goes to highlight—if it weren't already clear enough—just how small the gap is from the top of the table to the bottom.
Outside back Casey Krueger, a Chicagoland native and longtime staple for the team, had the assist on the first goal in that game with a well-placed cross that St. Georges met with a late run and a nicely struck header. That assist was something of a fluke for the Red Stars, who cross the ball less than any other team in the league (Angel City leads in both crosses attempted and successful crosses).
On paper, the Spirit outplayed the visitors rather dramatically, recording 21 shots to Chicago's five. Interestingly, to an extent, Angel City's home game against Chicago mirrored that discrepancy, in which ACFC took 15 shots to Chicago's six and possessed the ball 58% of the time.
In both games, Chicago was able to score against the run of play when a player found themselves with time and space in the box, and a dangerous ball wasn't cleared in time. Fortunately, Angel City's defense has improved substantially since that game. Keeping the Red Stars off the board in their home stadium will require more of the gritty, focused attitude the team has shown in the penalty area in the latter half of the season.
