Match Preview: Angel City at Washington Spirit | 5.18.24

Saturday, May 18, at 4:30 p.m. Pacific, Angel City is on the road against the Washington Spirit. The match will be broadcast on ION, with an English-language radio broadcast on iHeart.

Matchup

Last week, Angel City lost 0–1 at home to the Houston Dash. ACFC held the game scoreless until the 98th minute, when Houston defender Paige Nielsen notched a goal off a corner kick by midfielder Andressa Alves.

Washington’s last game was a 2–1 win on the road at Louisville. A fifth minute goal by rookie Croix Bethune and a 34th-minute own goal by Racing midfielder Lauren Milliet made the difference in that match, with the home team unable to add an equalizer to a Savannah DeMelo goal in the 51st minute.

Washington are currently in fourth place in the standings with a 6–3–0 (W–L–D) record. Angel City are in ninth with a 3–4–1 record.

ACFC has a 2–2–0 record all-time with the Spirit, with the two teams’ last meeting being a 1–2 loss on the road on June 10, 2023.

Scouting Report

After missing the playoffs with a disappointing eighth-place finish in 2023, Washington made some changes in the offseason, starting with parting ways with head coach Mark Parsons almost immediately after the season’s end. The club brought in former RCD Espanyol manager Adrián González as interim head coach in January; Jonatan Giráldez will join the team as permanent head coach once his current tenure with FC Barcelona is up in June.

Spirit GM Mark Krikorian leaned heavily into the NWSL Draft this year, making five total selections after trading midfielders Ashley Sanchez and Sam Staab for first-round picks.

With the third overall pick, Spirit selected forward Bethune out of Georgia (Bethune previously played three seasons at USC before transferring to the Bulldogs), a choice that has paid major dividends, as Bethune is the team’s leading scorer with four goals on the season. She is also tied with forward Trinity Rodman on assists, as both have four. 

In addition to Rodman and Bethune, French international Ouleymata Sarr, who has been in Washington since midway through last season, has played a major role, with three goals and an assist in nine matches.

The Spirit, who have the third-most goals scored in the league, with 18, are also noteworthy for having the best shot conversion rate of any team, scoring 16.22% of their total attempts.