Angel City fell 2–1 at home tonight to the Chicago Red Stars following a first-half brace by Red Stars forward Ava Cook and a late goal by ACFC forward Sydney Leroux.
The Red Stars opened the scoring in the 16th minute when forward Julia Bianchi sent a corner kick to the top of the six-yard box. Cook made an unmarked run towards goal and put a jumping header past keeper DiDi Haračić.
“We have to take care of those moments where we’re put under pressure,” said Head Coach Freya Coombe after the game. “To be fair, it wasn’t even that much pressure, it was just a long ball in, and we’re not taking care of those moments right now.”
Angel City nearly answered in the 20th minute. Forward Claire Emslie sent an aerial ball from the right edge of the penalty area to the far post, where defender MA Vignola leapt and tapped a one-time volley on target—but keeper Alyssa Naeher blocked the shot out for a corner kick.
Cook doubled her team’s lead in the 25th minute following a free kick that defender Arin Wright put at the edge of the 18-yard box. Angel City midfielder Julie Ertz won the initial header, which then fell to Chicago midfielder Yuki Nagasato. Nagasato headed the ball down to the feet of Cook, who let it take a few bounces and then hit with a sliding left-footed effort that landed in the back of the net.
Forward Scarlett Camberos had a near miss in the 49th minute. Forward Katie Johnson held the ball up and laid it back back for Camberos as she made a run into the box from the right. Camberos drove toward goal and sent a sharply angled shot just wide of the near post.
After entering the game in the 76th minute, forward Sydney Leroux pulled one back for Angel City. Thompson dribbled into the box from the right and sent a low pass across the face of goal from inside the six. Leroux was lurking near the goal line and slid to get her foot on the ball and poke it across to bring the score to 2–1. This game marked Leroux’s first game since last July.
“It meant a lot to me,” said Leroux of her return. “It’s been emotional all year. I didn’t really know if I would be able to put on this jersey again and play the way I know I can play. So to come on and be able to feel like I’m back and not have any issues, to play without pain, was really special.”
In stoppage time, Angel City nearly leveled the score when Thompson dribbled into the box and tapped a short pass back to midfielder Clarisse Le Bihan, who lobbed the ball into the six-yard box. Midfielder Savannah McCaskill connected but her shot went over the crossbar.
Despite coming out on top in terms of possession (58%), shots (15 to Chicago’s six), and expected goals (1.39 to Chicago’s .5), Angel City couldn’t find the equalizer and ended the night with a home loss.
“I think it’s looking at our ability to compete in these moments,” said Coombe. “We have to continue to challenge ourselves every day. We have to raise our standards.”
“It’s been a tough year for us so far, but we can show that we can get results,” said Leroux. “We can fight, we can have grit, we can have heart. I think that’s the most important thing, to get out there and fight. And I think we need to do more of that. Hopefully I can help out with that, but it takes each and every one of us to fight. I’m excited to move forward past this game and do what we need to do.”
Angel City plays next on the road this Saturday, May 10, at 4:00 p.m. PST against the Washington Spirit. The match will be broadcast on Paramount+.
