This Saturday, May 20, at 4:00 p.m., Angel City travels to play the North Carolina Courage for the first time in 2023. The game will stream live in the US on Paramount+ and internationally at NWSLSoccer.com.
Matchup
Angel City have played North Carolina twice, earning a 2–1 win at home and a 0–1 loss on the road in 2022. The win, which saw goals by defender Vanessa Gilles and forward Jun Endo, was ACFC's inaugural regular-season match, first home game, and first win.
The Courage are currently in sixth place with a 3–3–1 record (W–L–D). After losing three in a row in April, they have not lost in the last four games across all competitions (three in the regular season). Their most recent result was a 1–0 home win against OL Reign, which saw former Angel City forward Tyler Lussi score the lone goal.
ACFC are in eighth place with a 2–3–2 record. Their last game was a 0–1 loss to Washington at BMO Stadium in which the home team kept a clean sheet up until second-half stoppage time, when they conceded an unlucky penalty that forward Ashley Hatch put away.
Scouting Report
Long one of the most dominant teams in the league, North Carolina have undergone major changes in the last two seasons. They are a young team, with 10 players under age 25 and just two aged 30 or older.
One of those young players is their top scorer, 23-year-old Brazilian international Kerolin, who has three goals and 11 shots on the season. Kerolin has been with the Courage since 2022, when she had six goals and four assists. She's a creative attacker who likes to take players on the dribble and combine with teammates in wide areas, especially in the form of overlapping runs by left back Emily Fox.
Fox, a USWNT defender, is among the team's new players this season. She's an attacking outside back who looks to link up with players like Kerolin and midfielder Meredith Speck going forward.
Against the Reign last weekend, the team's lone goal came from a player who will be familiar to many LA fans already, former ACFC forward Tyler Lussi. With the Reign in their attacking phase, the Courage won the ball back in their defensive third. A few passes to get clear of Seattle's pressure ended with forward Rikke Madsen sending a long diagonal ball to Lussi, who had acres of space to sprint into with both of the Reign outside backs pushed forward. Lussi beat both center backs, took a touch to get into the 18, and finished with her right foot.
Defense! Defense!
Angel City's result against Washington belies the strong defensive performance the group put together over the 91 minutes leading up to the penalty call. Although the Spirit had 71 final third entries (a measure of how often a team moves the ball into the third of the field closest to their opponent's goal) to Angel City's 44, they put just three shots on goal, compared with two by ACFC. Those numbers speak to an organized, gritty LA defense that kept the Spirit away from the most dangerous areas of the field, even as Washington pushed aggressively for goal throughout the game.
The standout player for Angel City's defense was outside back M.A. Vignola, who led the team in tackles, duels won, and possession won—as well as shots, shots on target, and shots from inside the box. Vignola, who hadn't started a game until this season, was tasked with marking forward Trinity Rodman, one of the most dangerous attackers in the league, and kept her mostly quiet throughout the game.
Vignola's success in one-v-one situations against Rodman bodes well against a North Carolina team whose biggest attacking threat, Kerolin, tries to beat defenders on the dribble. Angel City's well-organized defensive block, as well as their back line's recovery speed, meanwhile, will be crucial when it comes to shutting down chances in transition by the Courage.
