Angel City FC takes on the Kansas City Current this Saturday, May 21, at 7:30 p.m. at Banc of California Stadium. The match will stream live on Twitch; an English radio broadcast will air on iHeart, and the Spanish broadcast will be on KFWB 980 AM.
Last week, Angel City beat the reigning champions, the Washington Spirit, 1–0 on the road. Forward Christen Press scored the game’s only goal in the 42nd minute, receiving a long pass from defender Vanessa Gilles, cutting inside to beat her mark, and curving her shot around Washington defender Emily Sonnett and past keeper Aubrey Kingsbury.
The win away from home showed how the team has grown since preseason. 'We've shown, you know, [a lot of] fight, particularly in the games against North Carolina and against Spirit,' Head Coach Freya Coombe told the media today. 'Just having that mentality and being able to see out games, I think that that's an area where we've grown compared with the Challenge Cup.'
Gilles was huge in that match; not only did she notch the assist on the game-winning goal, she also led both teams in tackles attempted, tackles won, and interceptions, and tied with fellow Angel City center back Megan Reid on clearances with five.
Keeping a clean sheet, however, takes a whole team. 'We're seeing the work rate from all over the field in terms of the players off the ball,' said Coombe. 'And I think that was something we had consistently, front to back, in last week's game. That was really important, and the impact that it had—the whole team was working together collectively to make sure that we were winning our battles and winning our duels, which was a key focus for us before the game.'
Forward Savannah McCaskill agreed. 'We talk about the team mentality,' she said. 'That's what is a difference maker in winning and losing games. We have to consistently put ourselves in situations where we're winning those battles and we're winning our tackles, and that's going to help us win and close out games. That was definitely a huge factor in this game and something that we want to continue to replicate going forward.'
ACFC’s opponent this week, the Current, are 0–2–1 so far in the regular season and are coming off a 2–2 draw with the Orlando Pride last Saturday. Forwards Elyse Bennett and Kristen Hamilton scored the Current’s two goals, which both came in the last 15 minutes of the game. Hamilton’s goal, in the first minute of added time, looked to be the likely game winner, until Pride defender Toni Pressley equalized in the sixth minute after regulation. The match also saw six yellow cards, split evenly between the two teams.
'They've got a number of quality players,' said Coombe. 'I think Hamilton has been a fantastic addition for Kansas in the middle of last year, and has proven to be a real handful up front, but also very tight defensively in terms of the amount of work that she's able to do.'
Hamilton, who played the full match, came to Kansas City last season from the North Carolina Courage, where she was a two-time NWSL champion. She also won a championship in 2016 with the Western New York Flash, who rebranded and moved to North Carolina at the end of that season. Two other former North Carolina standouts on the Current roster, midfielder Sam Mewis, and forward Lynn Williams, are currently injured.
Bennett, in addition to scoring in the 78th minute, got the assist on Hamilton’s goal. 'Bennett, for me, has also been a bright spot for them in recent games and a great pickup,' said Coombe. 'So I know that she can be a threat for them.'
Bennett, who was chosen seventh overall in the 2022 NWSL College Draft, came on as a sub in the 62nd minute against Orlando and immediately added a spark to Kansas City’s offense.
Coombe also cited Lo'eau LaBonta, who originally signed with the old Kansas City NWSL team, FC Kansas City. LaBonta stayed with the team when they relocated and rebranded as the Utah Royals, then again when they returned to KC and became the Current. 'LaBonta is a very talented midfielder who is capable of [scoring] goals, assisting goals, and is also great off the ball,' said Coombe.
Key for the team this week is building on last week's strong performance. 'I think a big thing for us is finding that consistency,' said McCaskill. 'So, going into this weekend, we want to continue that momentum that we had against Spirit and not let the level drop, especially getting back in front of our home fans. I think that's a huge, huge moment for us. We have to just show up and be ready to play and be ready for whatever they might throw at us.'
