Angel City Football Club experienced the anticipated ups and downs for an NWSL expansion team in 2022.
In its second year last season, ACFC underwent a midseason coaching change, but thanks to a strong second half, secured its first playoff berth.
Now with its third year approaching, Angel City believes there’s another level to ascend to – becoming a championship team.
“We have a clear goal of winning a championship,” defender and captain Ali Riley said during the preseason. “I think this could be a really special team and make more history this season.
“This league is so competitive. … How are we going to get that edge, how are we going to improve on the seasons we had? This league is about consistency. It feels like on any given day, any team can win and we want to prove that on any given day, we’re going to win. Again, that comes down to really working in the identity we want to have, the style of play we want to play and who we are. I think we have the players and depth to do a lot of different things this season, but I think adaptability will be really important … how do you get the best out of every player?”
All of those questions will be asked and answered by Becki Tweed, who as the interim coach guided Angel City on a second-half revival and into the playoffs last season, which ended with a heartbreaking loss to OL Reign.
Tweed had the interim tag removed early in the offseason and is preparing to lead Angel City, which hosts expansion club Bay FC in the season opener Sunday, for her first full season.
“We came in with a focus of building from last season,” said Tweed, who replaced Freya Coombe in June. “Holding and maintaining higher standards and challenging our identity a little bit. We have some really good new additions that can offer us a more flexible style of play.
“When I look back on last season, especially the second half, we got into a style of play that became really gritty. Obviously, we want to keep that grit, but we want to now grow from that identity and try to keep the ball a little bit more. Purposeful possession, a little smarter, a little more sophisticated, being in control of games and obviously score more goals.”
The margins are minuscule from week to week in the NWSL. Last season, seven points separated first place from eighth place. Angel City (8-7-7) finished fifth in what was then a 12-team league with 31 points.
Angel City scored 31 goals last season, with five coming in the final game of the regular season to secure a playoff berth.
To liven up the attack, Angel City acquired Messiah Bright in a trade with Orlando City SC. Last season, Bright scored six goals in her rookie season.
“Something we talked about in the offseason is making sure that we strengthen our squad,” Tweed said. “Every player that we’ve had in this preseason has had an impact on who we’re going to be as a team.
“Messiah has come in and upped the level for us.”
Angel City also added a pair of veteran midfielders in Raquel Rodriguez (in a trade with the Portland Thorns) and Meggie Dougherty Howard (in a trade with San Diego Wave FC). Amadine Henry, who joined the team in June, will be in for a full season.
On the other side, Angel City will be without fan favorite Jun Endo, who is on the season-ending injury list after tearing her ACL last month. Christen Press also starts the season on the season-ending IL.
Angel City’s biggest offseason moves involved teenagers. Angel City signed Gisele Thompson (18), the younger sister of Alyssa Thompson. In January, Casey Phair (16) signed via the U-18 Mechanism and Kennedy Fuller (17) signed earlier this month through the same pathway. Fuller was 16 when she signed.
Including the 19-year-old Alyssa Thompson, Angel City has four teenagers, all having gained experience at the various stages of their respective national teams.
Alyssa Thompson (USWNT) and Phair (South Korea) were at the last FIFA World Cup. Fuller was the captain of the U-17 U.S. team that won the CONCACAF Championship earlier this year, qualifying for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Gisele Thompson played at the 2022 U-17 World Cup and in the CONCACAF U-20 Championships.
“Anytime you bring in young players, you have a responsibility as a club and as a coach to develop them and help them grow as pros,” Tweed said. “Ultimately, if you’re good enough and old enough, you’ll play if that’s the role you’ve been brought in to do. It’s that balance and dynamic amongst the squads where everybody wants to win games and play with the best players possible. They don’t mind what age they are, they just want them to contribute to the team on the field and grow off the field. That’s a dynamic that we’re trying to create.”
“We have so much diversity within our group and that’s so important in a season when you’re going to come across so many hurdles and have so many highs and lows that you need people that have been there and done it. You need people that can pull people through.
“Building that dynamic out as a group is really important. We want to win championships and we want this club to continue to develop and grow. We want it to start now with signing players no matter what age they are. We all need them to contribute to the culture, and the on-field performance.”
Angel City’s on-field performance is trending upward after their first two seasons. An expanded playoff format increases the playoff field from six to eight teams, but this season just making the playoffs will not be enough for Angel City.
“The first game of the year to the last game of the year never looks the same,” Tweed said. “The hype and the build-up around a home opener and the first day of the season that naturally comes with everything is fine, but we have to look at the bigger picture and season goals. We have to know that this isn’t a one-game season and this one game won’t define us. Preseason in general can’t only be just about the home opener against Bay FC. It has to be about what we want to achieve this season and how we are going to get there.”
SEASON OPENER: ANGEL CITY FC vs. BAY FC
When: Sunday, 4:30 p.m.
Where: BMO Stadium
TV/radio: Bally Sports West, NWSL+/iHeart, KWKW 1330 AM (Spanish)
