Monrovia native Katie Johnson has been with Angel City since the beginning of 2023, when she made the move from San Diego Wave FC. Johnson was an NCAA champion with USC and has since played for Seattle, Gotham, and Chicago, as well as San Diego. AngelCity.com spoke to Johnson about her assist against Houston, her thoughts on the upcoming game against Portland, and the all-important gameday fit.
You had the assist on that gorgeous second goal this weekend. What did you see on that play?
Initially, I was just trying to create space to go [for goal] myself when Alyssa had the ball. Then I saw Sav shoot the gap and I saw her speed up. So I was like, 'perfect, I'll just wait to pass it in to her,' and that's what I did.
You have a really big game coming up this weekend, with a playoff spot on the line, against one of the top teams in the league. How are you feeling?
I was just talking to Dani [Weatherholt]. I was saying it feels like it's like going to be a championship game in a way. It's in the middle of the day. There's a lot of anticipation. It really does feel like this is for all the marbles even though it's just to get into the playoffs. It feels like it's a championship game. So it's exciting.
I mean, last time we played [Portland] at home, we won. And I feel like we actually outplayed them completely. We had possession of the field and scored some really good goals. So I think that we can definitely bring it to them, and I think they struggle against us, even though they're a great team. I think we need to give ourselves credit. We can definitely beat them.
Do you feel like you're a good matchup with them?
Yeah, I do. I think they're definitely afraid to play us and it's a different mentality when they're playing at Portland [versus] here. They're probably used to having their fans on their side, but we have such a big crowd, too. They're gonna be like, 'Whoa, this is different,' not having the cheering be for them.
How is your mentality different when you come off the bench as opposed to starting? And what were you seeing in this last game against Houston when you entered the game?
I think it's about reading what the game needs. When I'm on the bench, I'm consistently watching what I can do to change the game or affect it. So I think that's the biggest difference of starting versus subbing on—I have that time to kind of analyze the game a little bit more. And spaces open up, usually, in the second half that aren't presented in the first, so I'm able to see those and take advantage of it.
In Houston, I think I was seeing their three back. If we were able to pin them and create one-v-one opportunities, that was something that was really important. I don't think we were really hitting the outside of their three back. So that's what I was seeing, and I tried to do that when we when I came on.
Who on the team do you think has the best gameday fashion, and what's your approach to choosing a look for the pink carpet?
I think Jun has some really cool, different outfits. She has her own unique style, which is really cool. I think everyone has their own style and it's fun to see when you walk in. Merritt had good some ones this season, too.
Honestly, I haven't put much thought into [my outfits] this year. Just what's in my closet and what I'm feeling that day—based on the weather, too. It was funny that three of us had soccer jerseys on for the last game and it wasn't even planned. We all wore the mesh shirts underneath, because it was getting kind of chilly. So I guess we all kind of had the same idea there. Jerseys are definitely in right now.