Saturday, September 13, at 9:30 a.m. Pacific, Angel City FC is on the road against the North Carolina Courage. The game will be broadcast on CBS, with English-language radio available on iHeart. ACFC will host a watch party at Watch Me! Sports Bar in Long Beach.
Match Up
Angel City’s last regular-season game was a 1–3 loss on the road to NJ/NY Gotham FC on September 7. Midfielder Kennedy Fuller scored the opener, with Gotham forward Gabi Portilho, midfielder Rose Lavelle, and midfielder Jaelin Howell securing the win for the hosts.
North Carolina’s last game was a 1–1 home draw against Utah, with forward Jaedyn Shaw scoring for the Courage.
ACFC’s last contest with North Carolina was a 1–2 home loss on June 14. They are 3–2–2 (W–L–D) all-time against the Courage.
Angel City are in 10th place with a 6–8–5 record. North Carolina are in 11th at 5–7–7.
Scouting Report
North Carolina’s biggest contributor so far this season has been forward Manaka Matsukubo, who leads the team in both goals (five) and assists (four). Although the Japan international has been with the club since 2023, this has been a breakout season for her; in her first year with the Courage, she made just seven appearances, recording a goal and an assist, followed by a 2024 season where she earned two goals and an assist in 18 appearances (she has appeared in all 19 games this season).
The 21-year-old Matsukubo made the move to the NWSL early in her professional career. After graduating from the JFA Academy—the same school and training center ACFC’s Jun Endo, Miyabi Moriya, and Hannah Stambaugh attended—in 2022, she signed with Mynavi Sendai in March of 2023, before being loaned to the Courage in July. The following June she signed permanently with the Raleigh-area club.
Not unlike Angel City, North Carolina’s difficulties haven’t been scoring—other than Matsukubo, 12 different players have contributed goals this season, for a middle-of-the-pack total of 24—but defending, as the team has given up 29 goals. That’s unusual for the Courage, who have never finished a season with a negative goal differential and have finished with 30 or more concessions only once, in 2022.
Multitool Midfielder
For Angel City, one player to watch this week will be Kennedy Fuller, who scored the opener last week with a beautifully timed volley strike. Over the course of the season, Fuller has emerged as the team’s most important all-around threat, making major contributions in all areas of the game: scoring, chance creation, and defense.
Offensively, the 18-year-old is the team’s second-leading goalscorer, with three on the season, below forward Riley Tiernan’s eight. She also ranks just behind Tiernan in both total shots, with 26, and shots from inside the box, with 21.
As a creator, Fuller trails only Gisele Thompson in assists, with three on the season to Thompson’s four; however, she leads the team by a substantial margin in chances created, with 29, compared with second-place Thompson’s 18.
On the other side of the ball, Fuller outranks all other non-defenders in several defensive categories. She ranks third in tackles won, with 19—below only defenders M.A. Vignola and Miyabi Moriya—and second in possessions won, below Vignola and defender Sarah Gorden.
