Angel City take on OL Reign tomorrow, June 18, at 7:00 p.m. PST at Lumen Field in Seattle. The match will stream live on Twitch; an English radio broadcast will air on iHeart, and a Spanish-language broadcast will air on KWKW 1330 AM.
Last week, Angel City beat Racing Louisville FC 3–2 on the road in a back-and-forth, at times physical match. Louisville got on the board first, in the 29th minute, but Angel City forward Christen Press got one back soon after, in the 36th minute. Early in the second half, midfielder Savannah McCaskill put one away to give ACFC the lead; a penalty goal for both teams wrapped up the scoring, with McCaskill stepping up to the spot in stoppage time for the game winner.
The win brought Angel City's record to 4–3–1, and the team currently sits in fourth place in the standings. Unfortunately, Press had to sub out in the second half with what turned out to be a torn ACL, meaning she will be out for the season.
'[Press leaves] big shoes to fill,' Head Coach Freya Coombe told the media this week. 'But we've got some great quality players that are also remaining in the front line, like Simone Charley and Savannah McCaskill, [who] is really showing the fruit of her labor of being a little bit closer to goal with her brace in the last game and that positioning. So we've got some great talent in that front line, and I think the team is is just going to keep rolling forward and rolling with the punches.'
The Seattle-based OL Reign, meanwhile, are in sixth place with a 2–2–4 record. Their most recent result was a 1–1 draw against San Diego Wave FC on the road. Midfielder Jess Fishlock scored for the Reign in that match, assisted by midfielder Rose Lavelle.
ACFC have yet to meet the Reign in the regular season, but the two teams faced off twice in the preseason Challenge Cup. Both results went Seattle's way, but the second game, on April 17, was very nearly a draw, as the Reign notched the game-winner in added time with a lobbed header by Olivia Van der Jagt that dropped at a lucky angle.
The Reign are the only team in the NWSL with more than one player on their roster who has been with the team since the league started in 2013. Fishlock, defender Lauren Barnes, and midfielder Megan Rapinoe all fall into that category. The team also has its share of younger talent in forwards Bethany Balcer and Ally Watt and goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, among others. After an initial stint from 2013–2017, former manager Laura Harvey once again leads the team.
'It's a team that you have to respect but you can't fear,' defender Dani Weatherholt told the media this week. 'I think as a group, we know that they can be very talented and they're starting to put those pieces together. But it's important to know and recognize our own talent, and to bring that to the game and to not play afraid. I think it's going to be a great matchup.'
Key to OL Reign's attack are Fishlock and Rose Lavelle, who like to float in front of opponents' defensive lines and look to find space for a through ball to a teammate. Lavelle is one of the most dangerous creative midfielders in the world, with tremendous quickness and technical skill, and exceptional passing ability.
'We're going to have to hold the block,' said Weatherholt. 'We're gonna have to be compact and they're going to be tough. But I trust our defense. I trust our midfield. So it's really just trying to limit the amount of times that they're threatening our back line.'
Weatherholt and defender Madison Hammond came to LA from the Reign; defender Jasmyne Spencer has also done a stint with the team.