Angel City are on the road Wednesday, September 14, at 4:00 p.m. PST against the North Carolina Courage. The match will stream live on Paramount+, and an English-language radio broadcast will air on iHeart.
The match will be ACFC's second in just four days, as they last played away at Houston. That game ended in a 1–1 draw as Dash forward María Sánchez put her team ahead with a long-range strike in the first half. LA forward Simone Charley equalized early in the second half after receiving a long ball from defender Megan Reid and beating Dash defender Katie Naughton on the dribble; keeper Jane Campbell then came off her line to claim the ball, but bobbled it, allowing Charley to pick the ball back up and tap it into the open net.
Earning a point on the road was a strong start to a taxing three-game week at a moment when the playoff race is still neck and neck. Now with 26 points and a 7–5–5 record, Angel City remain in seventh place, still just one point behind Chicago in sixth, with a game in hand.
North Carolina, meanwhile, are in eighth place with 22 points and a 6–7-4 record. The Courage struggled early in the season, but have won four of their last five games. Their last outing, on Saturday was a comprehensive 5–1 home win over Racing Louisville. In that game, forward Kerolin and midfielder Debinha each scored a brace, with midfielder Theresa Boade closing out the scoring in the last minute of regulation time.
Despite being eighth in the table, the Courage also have the second most goals scored in the league, with 38. Eleven of those goals came from 20-year-old rookie forward Diana Ordoñez, who is tied for second in the golden boot race. At the University of Virginia, Ordoñez scored 45 goals, tied for third most in school history, despite playing just three seasons. She also has two goals in two caps for Mexico.
Wednesday will be the second meeting between the two teams. They first met on April 29, Angel City's inaugural match as a club, which LA won 2–1. In that game, defender Vanessa Gilles and forward Jun Endo scored early for Angel City, with Debinha pulling one back in the second half.
Playoff Scenarios
LA will not catch up to Chicago in games played this week, as the Red Stars also play on Wednesday and again on Saturday. Chicago's Wednesday opponent is the first-place Kansas City Current. Because of ACFC's home win against Chicago on August 14, if the two teams end up tied in points, Angel City will—for now—pull ahead of Chicago and into playoff position. The possible scenarios after Wednesday's games are:
If Chicago WINS: Angel City will stay in seventh place
If Chicago DRAWS: Angel City will move into sixth place with a win against North Carolina
If Chicago LOSES: Angel City will move into sixth place with a win or a draw against North Carolina
