An Ending, and a Beginning

It was a painful ending for Angel City's 2023 season. On a chilly Friday night in Seattle, this team which had fought so hard to salvage a season that seemed lost four months ago was narrowly eliminated from the playoffs with a 0–1 loss to OL Reign.

But as much as the loss stung, team captain Ali Riley had a different takeaway: 'I just think that as a club, everyone should be so proud,' she said after the game. 'We made the playoffs and I feel like we just scratched the surface.'

Interim Head Coach Becki Tweed echoed Riley. 'I'm feeling incredibly proud,' she said. 'I think 12 weeks ago, the world was against us. We've proven we can compete and be one of the top teams. I feel proud of the group and the buy-in. Obviously [I'm] devastated... but we'll grow from it. It's the first of many. You have to go through the first to get better.'

Looking back on their 4–1 loss to the Reign in May on this very field, Angel City was hardly recognizable as the same team. They out-possessed and out-passed Seattle, looking confident and composed through 90 minutes, and were handily the better team in the first half. And individual players, including rookie goalkeeper Angelina Anderson and veteran defender Paige Nielsen, shone.

Regardless of result, ACFC left no doubt, said Riley: 'this is a team that can win a championship.'

Experience counts for a lot in elimination matches, and with players like Megan Rapinoe, Jess Fishlock, and Lu Barnes—all of whom have been with Seattle since the league started in 2013 and have competed in six playoff tournaments—Reign have just about any team in the league beat there. For Angel City, meanwhile, 2023 was their first-ever playoff appearance in just their second year in existence.

'This is new for us,' said Tweed. 'We've never experienced it. I think sometimes those moments you go through, the downs, can make you more successful.'

And there's a flip side to Angel City's relative inexperience: the amount of young talent on the roster whose potential has only just started to show. As the team stood on the field processing the loss, Riley put an arm around the 18-year-old Alyssa Thompson, the veteran comforting the young phenom.

'Her and Jun and Scarlett—we're all disappointed. Everyone is crying,' she said. 'But they're so young, they have these long careers ahead of them. I'm so grateful for the characters we have on this team and this young talent. They're going to be a part of this club long after I'm gone. So I know it hurts right now, but I. I'm so confident that they are going to have incredible careers in this league and beyond.'

As the team greeted fans in the stands, it was Riley who pointed out the group of supporters gathered in section 148 who had stood and chanted for 90 minutes.

'I'm so grateful to all the fans that came,' she said. 'I know they wanted to follow us all the way to the final, and it sucks that we couldn't give that to them. But they've also supported us this whole season and I hope they'll stick with us, because we're going to work so hard this offseason.'

That feeling of gratitude—for fans, teammates, and staff—seemed to suffuse the whole team. 'Every single member of this team, of this staff, of this club, played a huge part in our success this season,' said Riley. 'And I do think the season was a success. So I hope that everyone feels a part of it because we're so grateful for everyone.'

Tweed again echoed the captain, saying, 'I can't speak highly enough of [Goalkeeping Coach Dan Ball] and [Assistant Coach Eleri Earnshaw]. Without them, this wouldn't happen.'

At the same time, the team knows they need to take this loss in and use it as fuel for next year.

'We allow ourselves to feel it,' said midfielder Savannah McCaskill. 'It’s going to suck, but then this offseason doesn’t just become another offseason… And we show up to preseason [in 2024] ready to go.'