Angel City are on the road for the third time this week Saturday, September 17, at 7:00 p.m. PST against the San Diego Wave. The match will stream live on Paramount+, and an English-language radio broadcast will air on iHeart.
ACFC's last result was a 0–1 loss away at North Carolina. Courage forward Kerolin scored the game-winner in that match, assisted by forward Diana Ordoñez. LA had several near misses, including several by forward Jun Endo. The loss snapped a five-game undefeated streak, but Angel City remain in seventh place for a seventh consecutive match. It was also the team's fourth consecutive away game—Saturday's match will be the final game on the road before they return home on September 21.
'The team is obviously very disappointed with the result, but I think that there was moments in that game where we really performed well,' said Head Coach Freya Coombe. 'I thought we had some passages of play where we moved the ball incredibly well, particularly in the first half. I thought defensively we were very disciplined, again in the first half, more so than the second. There's elements in there to be proud of. We played some of our best soccer that we have done for a number of games in that game.'
San Diego are currently 9–6–4 in third place. Their most recent match was a 3–4 loss last Saturday to the Washington Spirit. In that game, forward Jaedyn Shaw scored early, and was soon answered with a goal by Spirit forward Tara McKeown. Defender Amber Brooks then scored two more for Washington before the break; forward Alex Morgan tied the game back up with a penalty goal and one in the run of play in the second half. Forward Ashley Hatch notched the game-winner, another penalty, ten minutes into stoppage time.
'I think following their defeat and the manner in which they played against Washington Spirit—and how close and how good that game was—we know that they're going to want to get back to winning ways and come out extra hard,' said Coombe.
The Wave's inaugural season has been the most successful on the field of any expansion team in league history. They sat atop the table for 13 consecutive weeks, from week two through to the beginning of August. Led by former England international Casey Stoney, the team has the second-best defensive record in the league, with just 19 goals conceded. They employ a fast, direct attack, and Morgan currently leads the golden boot race with 15 goals.
Including the Challenge Cup, Angel City have played San Diego three times this year, with the results evenly split—a draw and a home win for the Wave in the Challenge Cup, and a regular-season win at home for Angel City. Since the teams' last meeting, San Diego have added 17-year-old Jaedyn Shaw, who has two goals in two matches.
'I think [Shaw's] movement is very good,' said Coombe. 'We saw from her last goal that she's a good finisher as well. She puts herself in really great positions and has the quality of technique to be able to finish them... I think what's important for us is that we continue to be tight and compact defensively. Be aware of the runs that are coming in behind and off the shoulder from both her and Alex [Morgan], and just be looking to do what we do and control what we do really well.'
Like the first regular-season meeting between the two teams, Saturday's match is sold out. It will be the first game the Wave play at their new home, SnapDragon Stadium, and is expected to set an all-time league attendance record.
'It's exciting,' said midfielder Dani Weatherholt, who grew up in San Clemente—the exact halfway point between LA and San Diego. 'I grew up going to the Del Mar Fairgrounds for Surf Cup my whole life; I played in LA my whole life. And the first professional women's soccer game that I ever saw was actually [in San Diego]. I'm sure that was a couple thousand people, maybe less, so the fact that I'm going to be playing in a game for a professional team in San Diego, at SnapDragon, for 33,000 [fans]—it gives me chills to think about it.'
