Angel City FC takes on the Portland Thorns on Wednesday, March 30 at 7 p.m. PST at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon. The match will stream live on Paramount+.
Over the weekend, ACFC fell 1–3 to OL Reign, with Tyler Lussi scoring the club’s lone goal in the 67th minute. Lussi played for the Thorns before her move to LA, as did Simone Charley, who assisted Lussi’s goal; it marked the first time the two players have combined for a goal in their four seasons as teammates. Charley was one of four players who made their Angel City debuts on Saturday; the other players were Hope Breslin, Allyson Swaby, and Stefany Ferrer Van Ginkel.
Lussi and Charley were Challenge Cup champions last year with the Thorns, drawing 1–1 with Gotham FC in the championship match and prevailing in a penalty shootout. The Thorns also won the 2021 Supporters Shield, but fell to the Chicago Red Stars in the playoff semifinal. Portland is 1-1-0 so far in the 2022 Challenge Cup, with a draw against OL Reign and a win over San Diego Wave FC, both on the road.
After the departure of longtime manager Mark Parsons at the end of last season, the Thorns are in their first year under head coach Rhian Wilkinson, a former Canadian international who briefly played professionally in Portland in 2015. Most of the club’s 2021 roster is intact, with one key change: midfielder Lindsey Horan, who had been enormously impactful since her arrival in 2016, went on loan to Olympique Lyonnais earlier this year.
Angel City will play without Savannah McCaskill, who shone in the opener against San Diego, following a red card awarded to the midfielder in the 31st minute against OL Reign.