This Saturday, April 29, at 7:30 p.m., Angel City plays the Portland Thorns on the road. The game will stream live in the US on Paramount+ and internationally at NWSLSoccer.com. For more information on broadcasts, click here.
Matchup
Angel City has played Portland four times across all competitions, twice in the 2022 regular season and twice in the Challenge Cup. In the regular season, they have one loss and one draw against the Thorns; in the Challenge Cup, they recorded a loss followed by their first-ever win as a team, a 1–0 result.
The Thorns are currently undefeated and sitting atop the table with a 3–0–1 (W–L–D) record in the regular season. Their most recent result was a 2–0 win against Louisville at home last Saturday.
ACFC is currently in seventh place with a 1–2–1 record in the regular season, following a difficult 0–2 loss at home last Sunday to the San Diego Wave.
Scouting Report
Portland are the reigning NWSL champions, and so far in 2023 they show no signs of slowing down. They lead the league both offensively and defensively, with 11 goals scored and just two conceded in the regular season.
Sophia Smith is the team's leading goalscorer, whose four goals on the season also lead the league; she also has a league-leading four assists.
'Sophia is having another great season and I think she's really positioned herself as one of the top strikers in the league,' said Angel City Head Coach Freya Coombe this week. 'I think with anyone, if they're a good player, you don't let them have a ton of time and space on the ball to do what they're good at.'
Smith isn't the team's only threat, though; five other players have at least one goal, and last week against Louisville, the team scored both goals when the ball was played into the box from a wide area and a first runner dummied it to a second, who was unmarked. In short, Angel City's defense will have to watch for the Thorns to send several waves of runners forward and be alert to their multiple scoring threats.
'I think if we keep our structure defensively,' said defender Megan Reid, 'keeping our zone intact in the middle, getting good pressure on the ball to disrupt service, having our person on top of the penalty [area] to prevent those cutbacks—if we're maintaining our structure, we'll be fine.'
Making Strides
Despite the disappointing scoreline, Angel City's performance in last week's game against San Diego represented a big step forward for the team.
'I honestly think it was like the most complete performance that we've put together, maybe ever,' said Reid. 'You saw more patience, you saw more ball movement. We were more dangerous—we had way more shots on goal than they did and our presence in general was way stronger. The one difference is they had three shots on goal and had two go in.'
In addition to limiting San Diego to three shots on goal, Angel City also limited them to .44 xG, or expected goals, a measure of shot quality that takes into account things like assist type, location, and shot type (e.g., whether the shot was taken with the foot or the head). ACFC's xG was .79. The home team also made 11 passes into the opposing penalty area, compared with San Diego's two, and had 26 touches in the box, to San Diego's 10.
One factor in that performance was the addition of midfielder Julie Ertz, a true No. 6, or defensive midfielder, who helps stabilize the midfield by dominating the area in front of the center backs.
'I think [Ertz is] going to be huge for us because she can get forward, but she can also get back,' said defender Paige Nielsen. 'We've seen Julie play in a center back position [for Chicago and the USWNT], so it does give us more freedom to play from the back.... It's only been a week, but you can tell just her overall presence changes the comfort level. [We] couldn't be more excited to see where we go and grow with her.'
In short, while Portland will pose a challenge, Angel City has never been better prepared to face that challenge.
