Angel City are on the road Sunday, August 28, at 2:00 p.m. PST against NJ/NY Gotham FC. The match will be broadcast locally on Bally Sports and stream live on Paramount+. An English-language radio broadcast will air on iHeart.
ACFC's last game was a 1–1 draw on the road against the Kansas City Current on August 19. In that game, midfielder Cari Roccaro opened the scoring in the 78th minute, heading in a cross by defender Ali Riley. Just two minutes later, the Current were awarded a penalty after a foul by defender Paige Nielsen. Midfielder Lo'eau LaBonta stepped up and buried the shot to tie the game back up in the 82nd minute.
The draw brought Angel City's record to 6–5–4, keeping them in seventh place, one point out of playoff position. They have a game in hand over the sixth-place Red Stars, and two games in hand over second- and third-place San Diego and Houston.
'I think that the positive from the Kansas game,' said Head Coach Freya Coombe, '[is that] we didn't play very well and got out of there with a point. So I think that's a positive to take at this stage in the season. I would like to see us do much better in possession, in our movement in order to support our possession, and in our ability to play forwards a lot more.'
NJ/NY Gotham FC are in 12th place with a 4–11–0 record, and they head into the weekend on a six-game losing streak. Their last match was a 1–2 loss at home to the Orlando Pride that saw midfielder Kristie Mewis steal a goal back in the 75th minute after the team went down 0–2. Forward Nahomi Kawasumi earned the assist on that goal.
Sunday's game will be LA's second meeting with Gotham. Their first match was a 0–1 loss at home on May 29. Despite the scoreline, Angel City dominated that match, putting up 23 shots to Gotham's seven. Gotham got just two shots on frame, one of which forward Ifeoma Onumonu put away in the 57th minute.
'I think we were all very frustrated with the game at home that we had,' said Coombe. 'I think the whole team and potentially their team as well felt like we dominated that game, but we didn't do enough to score, unfortunately, in that moment.
Since then, Gotham has made some substantial changes. Earlier this month, they parted ways with head coach Scott Parkinson, hiring former Jamaica women's national team Hue Menzies as interim replacement. Earlier this summer, they brought in former North Carolina Courage defender Taylor Smith off waivers; she has been playing at forward for Gotham and recorded five shots against Orlando. Most recently, they traded with the Current for 2021 Rookie of the Year candidate Victoria Pickett, a midfielder.
'It's definitely going to be a little bit different,' said Roccaro, 'but we're kind of focusing on our game plan... We're prepared for a couple of different things. We've been working really hard this week, and ultimately I think we're trying to focus on our game and what we do best.'
Gotham's leading scorer is forward Midge Purce, who has three goals and two assists on the season. She was serving a one-game suspension against Orlando, following a red card in the previous match. Mewis, an attacking midfielder, has been another key player in the team's offense.
Coombe said she expects the coaching change to have an effect on Gotham's mentality. 'I think a key thing for us going into this is, [with coaching changes], it always gives a little lift to players, as they're now competing to try and ascertain where they are in the standings, where their position is in the squad. And I think everyone gets given a new opportunity... We're looking forward to a really good game.'
Angel City's next game is Copa Angelina, a September 5 friendly at home against the Mexico Women's National Team.