This Saturday, July 29, at 7:00 p.m., Angel City hosts Portland Thorns FC for a 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup game. The game will stream live in the US on Paramount+ and internationally on NWSLSoccer.com; an English-language radio broadcast will be available on iHeart. For more information on broadcasts, click here.
Matchup
This is Angel City's second Challenge Cup game against the Thorns for 2023, and their third across all competitions.
Angel City are in third place in the West division with one win, one draw and two losses. Their last Challenge Cup game, a 2–1 home win on June 28 against San Diego, saw midfielder Madison Hammond score in the second minute—the fastest goal in UKG NWSL Challenge Cup history—and double the score in the 18th minute with a goal by forward Clarisse Le Bihan. San Diego midfielder Danielle Colaprico pulled one back in the 63rd minute.
LA's last match overall was a 2–1 win at home against North Carolina before the World Cup break. The Courage got on the board first in that game, with a 15th-minute effort by midfielder Brianna Pinto, which midfielder Savannah McCaskill answered just three minutes later. The game winner came in the 77th—an own goal by defender Kaleigh Kurtz, forced by ACFC midfielder Elizabeth Eddy.
The Thorns are in second place in the West, with two wins and two losses. Their last Challenge Cup match was a 4–1 drubbing of San Diego at home in Portland. Forward Hannah Betfort notched a brace in that match, with defenders Meghan Klingenberg and Reyna Reyes rounding out the scoring for the home team. Wave midfielder Taylor Kornieck got a consolation goal in the 81st minute.
With Portland sitting on six points and LA on four, a win in this match would bump Angel City into second place in the West. This is the team's second-to-last game of the group stage; the last one will be away in San Diego on August 5.
