This Wednesday, May 3, at 7:00 p.m., Angel City plays their second Challenge Cup game on the road against OL Reign. The game will stream live in the US on Paramount+ and internationally on NWSLSoccer.com; an English-language radio broadcast will be available on iHeart. For more information on broadcasts, click here.
Angel City also faced the Reign in their first Challenge Cup game on April 19, losing 0–2. Following that result—and San Diego's 1–0 win against Portland—the Reign are in first place in the west, followed by San Diego, Portland, and Angel City.
Seattle's most recent result was a come-from-behind 2–2 draw against Louisville over the weekend. Louisville went up 2–0 in the first half with goals by forward Paige Monaghan and midfielder Savannah DeMelo. Forward Megan Rapinoe got one back with a nice finish on a 69th-minute penalty kick, and forward Jordyn Huitema equalized in the last minute of regulation with a header on a beautiful lofted ball from defender Alana Cook.
ACFC also earned a tie in their last game, away at Portland on Saturday night. In that game, the two teams traded goals, with ACFC forward Alyssa Thompson getting on the board first, and Portland then going up 2–1 with a penalty scored by forward Hina Sugita and a 65th-minute go-ahead goal by forward Morgan Weaver. A Thorns own goal by defender Natalia Kuikka and a header put away by midfielder Julie Ertz looked to be the last word on the night—until Portland goalkeeper Bella Bixby improbably equalized on a corner kick in the last play of the game.
Historically in the Challenge Cup, the Reign have finished in the top two in their division for the last three years running, and finished third in the West division in 2020. They have never made it past the first knockout round of the tournament; last year they were eliminated in the semifinals after losing the penalty shootout following a nil-nil draw with Washington.
Last year, Angel City's inaugural season, the Challenge Cup was held as a preseason tournament. The team finished fourth in the West, earning a 1–1–4 record (W–L–D).