Saturday, April 12, at 2:00 p.m. PT,Angel City hits the road to take on the Houston Dash. The game will stream live on NWSL+ and Paramount+, with an English-language radio broadcast on iHeart. ACFC will host an all-ages watch party at Common Space Brewery in Hawthorne.
Matchup
Angel City’s last game was a 2–1 win at home against Seattle Reign FC on March 30. Forwards Alyssa Thompson and Riley Tiernan scored for ACFC, with midfielder Ji So-Yun notching the consolation goal for the visitors.
Houston last played on March 28 at home against Gotham, a match that ended in a scoreless draw.
These two teams last met in Houston on June 15, 2024, playing to another scoreless draw. Angel City is 1–1–4 (W–L–D) all-time against the Dash.
After three weeks of games, ACFC are in fourth place with a 1–0–2 record—one of just three remaining undefeated teams (Orlando and Kansas City are the others). Houston sit in seventh place with a 1–1–1 record.
Scouting Report
The Dash have made a lot of changes as they look to bounce back from their worst season ever in 2024, which they finished in last place with just 20 goals.
After parting ways with manager Fran Alonso in October of last year, one of the first orders of business for the club was to build out their staff. Former Angel City general manager Angela Hucles Mangano, who was named president of women’s soccer in December, led a coaching search that ended with the club hiring former Chicago and North Carolina assistant Fabrice Gautrat.
The team’s roster updates include a name Angel City fans will be familiar with: Messiah Bright, who spent 2024 in LA, where she notched a goal in the regular season and a hat trick in the team’s friendly against FC Juárez.
Houston has also revamped their midfield, starting with the addition of midfielder Delanie Sheehan. An attacking mid, Sheehan came to Houston from NJ/NY Gotham, where she was an important part of that team’s 2023 championship run, including scoring the game-winner in their opening-round playoff game against the Courage.
In the weeks that followed Sheehan’s signing, the club also added rookie Maggie Graham out of Duke, signed former Wave midfielder Danny Colaprico out of free agency, and traded with Gotham for Yazmeen Ryan. All four will be strong additions in creating opportunities for forwards like Diana Ordóñez and Michelle Alozie, as well as Bright.
On the back line, Houston added league veteran Christen Westphal; goalkeeper Abby Smith also joins the team, likely as a strong no. 2 to Jane Campbell.
ACFC Players Represent
Angel City had a club record eight players named to rosters for both youth and senior national teams in the international break that ended on Tuesday. Those players were Claire Emslie (SCO), Alanna Kennedy (AUS), Casey Phair (KOR), Alyssa Thompson (USA), Gisele Thompson (USA), Savy King (USA U-23s), Bre Norris (Mexico U-23s), and Kennedy Fuller (USA U-19s).
A highlight of the window for both Angel City and USWNT fans was the USA’s 2–0 win against Brazil in LA on April 4. Alyssa Thompson, who started and played 85 minutes, had a gorgeous assist on forward Trinity Rodman’s opener, cutting past a Brazil defender to dribble into the final third and then send a pinpoint through ball into the box. The assist was the second of Thompson’s 16-cap USWNT career.
The other four ACFC players called in for their senior teams also saw the field during the break. Defender Gisele Thompson played 90 minutes in the USA’s second game against Brazil. Midfielder Alanna Kennedy played 90 minutes in Australia’s first friendly against South Korea, and subbed out in the 60th minute in the second; forward Claire Emslie played 90 minutes in Scotland’s second Nations League match against Germany; and forward Casey Phair played the first 56 minutes in South Korea’s first game against Australia.
