Saturday, September 27, at 4:30 p.m. Pacific, Angel City FC is on the road against Racing Louisville FC. The game will stream live on ION, with an English-language radio broadcast on iHeart. ACFC will host a watch party at Common Space Brewery in El Segundo.
Match Up
Angel City’s last regular-season game was a 2–2 draw at home against Washington on September 18. Defender Evelyn Shores scored and forward Riley Tiernan forced an own goal for Angel City; forward Trinity Rodman and midfielder Croix Bethune got on the board for the Spirit.
Louisville’s last result was a 2–3 loss on the road in Utah, with forwards Emma Sears and Janine Sonis scoring Racing’s two goals.
ACFC’s last match against Louisville was a 2–3 loss at home on May 24. LA is 2–3–2 (W–L–D) all-time against Racing.
Angel City are in 11th place with a 6–9–6 record. Louisville are in 10th at 7–9–5.
Scouting Report
One player to watch for Louisville is forward Emma Sears, who scored Racing’s second goal in the last meeting between these two teams in May. Sears is in her second season with Louisville, having been selected in the 2024 draft out of Ohio State. After scoring five goals in her rookie year, Sears is having a breakout season, leading the team in scoring with eight.
Another is Canada international Janine Sonis (née Beckie), who currently leads Racing in assists with four, alongside two goals. Sonis came to Louisville midway through last season via trade with Portland.
Louisville’s difficulties this season haven’t been with scoring—the team has a middle-of-the-pack 27 goals on the season—but defensively, as they have conceded 34 goals.
Playoff Picture
Last week, Kansas City clinched the Shield with five games remaining in the regular season—the earliest any team has ever secured the top spot in the NWSL.
For the rest of the playoff bracket, however, the race is just heating up, especially for spots 3–8. Just three points separate eighth-place North Carolina from third-place Gotham. With 24 points on the season, Angel City is within a win and a draw of North Carolina, who have 28.
This game will have major import for whether ACFC makes the playoffs, as Louisville are just two points ahead in 10th. The only other team between LA and the playoff line, Houston, will travel to BMO on October 12. That’s good news for Angel City, as it gives the team more control over their playoff destiny than they would otherwise have.
