Match Preview: Angel City vs Bay FC (Summer Cup) | 7.26.24

Friday, July 26 at 7:30 p.m., Angel City is on the road against Bay FC in the second match of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup. The game will be available on CBS Sports Network and Paramount+ in the US; on ESPN and Disney+ in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama; and elsewhere internationally on NWSL+.

Matchup

This will mark the third time Angel City has played 2024 expansion side Bay FC; LA had their two regular-season matchups with their new rivals to the north, both 0–1 losses, earlier this year. In the two teams’ last meeting, on June 22, a 33rd-minute goal by Bay midfielder Tess Boade made the difference.

Angel City heads into this match having won their first Summer Cup game, against Liga MX side Club América, 2–1. Midfielder Kennedy Fuller opened the scoring for ACFC in the first half, with forward Sydney Leroux doubling the lead late in regulation time. América forward Kiana Palacios pulled one back for the visitors in stoppage time.

Bay FC lost their tournament opener, a road trip to San Diego, 1–3. Defender Kennedy Wesley, forward María Sánchez, and forward Amirah Ali secured the win for Wave, with defender Madeline Moreau notching the lone goal for Bay.

Tournament Format

The NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup is new this season as the league has phased out the midseason Challenge Cup contested in 2023. The tournament features all 14 NWSL teams, as well as the six Liga MX sides who earned the most combined points in Clausura and Apertura 2023. Those clubs are Tigres UANL, América, Chivas de Guadalajara, Rayadas de Monterrey, Pachuca, and Tijuana.

The 30 teams have been split into five regional groups, where every team will play every other team once. Angel City is in Group B, which also features Club América, Bay FC, and San Diego Wave FC. Because the group stage is single-legged, each NWSL team will play twice at home and once on the road; ACFC will play San Diego Wave on August 1, the team’s second match at Cal State Fullerton. 

Of the five group winners, the four with the most points from the group stage will advance to the semifinals, to be held on August 6 at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City. The tournament final will be held at Toyota field in San Antonio, Texas, on October 25. More information, including a tournament bracket and complete schedule, can be found here.