Match Preview: Angel City at Racing Louisville FC | 9.14.24

Saturday, September 14, at 4:30 p.m. Pacific, Angel City is on the road against Racing Louisville FC. The match will stream live on ION, with English-language radio coverage on iHeart.

Matchup

Angel City’s last game was a 2–3 loss at home against the Seattle Reign on September 6. Forwards Alyssa Thompson and Sydney Leroux scored for Angel City, with defender Sofia Huerta, midfielder Ji So-Yun, and forward Tziarra King sealing the win for Seattle.

Louisville’s most recent result was a 0–1 loss on the road to Bay FC on September 7 where Bay forward Asisat Oshoala was the difference-maker.

ACFC and Louisville last played on June 19, a game LA won 3–2 on the strength of goals by midfielders Kennedy Fuller and Rocky Rodríguez, with Leroux scoring the game-winner.

Angel City has a 2–1–2 (W–L–D) all-time regular-season record against Racing.

Racing are currently in 11th place with a 4–8–7 record; Angel City are in ninth with a 6–10–3 record.

Scouting Report

The race for the last two playoff spots remains tight, with just five points separating seventh-place Bay FC and 11th-place Louisville. With Angel City being one of the three teams separating Racing from their first-ever postseason appearance, Head Coach Bev Yanez’s team will be hungry for a big three points at home heading into the last month and a half of the regular season.

Yanez made several additions to her side during the August transfer window, starting with a trade that brought forward Bethany Balcer to the Derby City from Seattle in exchange for midfielder Jaelin Howell. Balcer, a No. 9 with a knack for both scoring and assisting, was Seattle’s leading or co-leading scorer in each of her four full seasons with the club.

Also new at Racing is forward Janine Beckie, a winger who notched three goals in 35 appearances in two seasons with the Portland Thorns, as well as defender Courtney Petersen, who arrived via trade with Houston.

Two Games, Two Assists

Defender M.A. Vignola recorded her second assist of the season against Seattle, less than a week after her first, in Angel City’s September 1 game against Chicago—both to forward Sydney Leroux in stoppage time.

The assist against Seattle came in Vignola’s first full 90 minutes since March, as the defender has struggled on and off with injury and mostly come in off the bench this season. She made an impact throughout the game, recording two shots—both on target—two chances created, and three crosses in addition to the assist.

Milestones

Leroux’s goal last week was her 47th all-time, meaning she is now tied with Angel City forward Christen Press for eighth-most career goals in NWSL history.

Thompson’s goal was her eighth, putting her in second place for most career goals by a teenager—only San Diego’s Jaedyn Shaw has more, with 12.

A number of other Angel City players are nearing major career milestones:

• Defender Merritt Mathias is approaching 200 career regular-season appearances, at 196. She would be only the third player to reach that number.
• Mathias is also approaching 15,000 career NWSL minutes played, with 14,375 to date.
• Midfielder Rocky Rodríguez is approaching 150 career regular-season appearances, with 145.
• Christen Press is at 96 career regular-season appearances, approaching 100.
• Elizabeth Eddy is also at 96 career appearances.