Last weekend’s game against Racing Louisville FC might not have ended with the three points Angel City wanted, but for defenders M.A. Vignola and Madison Curry, who have become friends over the course of the season, it marked a milestone: “this past game was the first game that we both went on the field at the same time—and on the same side” said Vignola after training this week. “We have been talking about that for months, so that was kind of a full-circle moment.”
Vignola, who has been with Angel City since 2022, took Curry under her wing after the rookie unexpectedly had to start at outside back against Kansas City in March, after both Vignola and Merritt Mathias were ruled out. Curry learned she’d be starting less than an hour before the game.
“I'm so proud of her,” says Vignola. “Coming in as an outside back, that's probably one of the hardest positions to just go in and fill, and she didn't have that time to process—she just kind of got thrown in there. I really respected that she just went in, head down, and did the job she had to do.”
“She’s so honest and open to learning about the position and the team,” Vignola continues. “I think as the season has progressed, she’s progressed immensely as a player and as a person.”
Vignola has served as a mentor for Curry, and their friendship has also helped Vignola get through what’s been a challenging season at times. After being injured in March, she was sidelined completely for about six weeks, but wasn’t completely pain-free or confident in her body until more recently.
“I hold myself to a really high standard,” she explains. “I think playing through pain is definitely doable, but also it gets to a point where you’re thinking so much about it that you’re not not playing like [yourself]. If I’m not maximizing my strengths, I feel like I hyper-focus on those things.”
To find her form again, Vignola had to slow down and focus on the basics—which made her feel, at times, like she wasn’t progressing. “It's tough,” she says. “It’s a give-and-take type of thing.”
Being unable to help the team on the field meant she had to find other ways to contribute. “I had to find my voice off the field,” says Vignola. “I usually try to lead by example, so I kind of had to reshape things. Helping Curry off the field was a big thing for me. Being her cheerleader gave me hope and happiness, just to see the things that she can do.”
In addition, serving as a mentor for Curry has helped Vignola remember what she needs to do to keep herself grounded. “It’s just been telling her to continue to be herself,” says Vignola. “I think that's always been something that I have to keep telling myself, too—to not feel the pressure of, ‘I have to be this way, I have to compete this way.’ You are your best self when you're playing like you. You don't need to focus on what anyone else brings to the table, just focus on you.”
For Vignola, that means leaning into her strengths as a two-way player, shutting down opponents’ wide attacks, then sprinting up the wing to connect with the forwards—as she did when she assisted Sydney Leroux in second-half stoppage time against both Chicago and Seattle—or making attempts on goal herself. She has yet to score this season, but she’s recorded multiple shots on target in recent games, and found the back of the net against the Reign, though that goal was nullified after video review.
In Louisville, Vignola finally got the chance to see how Curry—who she’d cheered on from the sidelines most of the season—complemented those qualities. “Her ability to use her feet to break pressure is something that I can really look forward to playing next to,” she says. “Having a center back who can break a defense or a front line like that is really important, and it also helps me get forward, so I love her for that.”