This past weekend, Angel City FC closed out their four-match road trip with a visit to Sandy, Utah where they took on the Royals. Coming into the match, the team was still searching for their first win under new head coach Alex Straus, and their first win since early May. It was a prime opportunity to get three points as the Royals have only seen one victory all season. While the team couldn’t get the win on the road, it was another match where we saw some improvement in some areas, struggles in others, but in the end the points were shared in a scoreless draw that moves Angel City to two matches unbeaten. Considering how form has been for Los Angeles as of late, that itself feels like a win.
Bringing home a point. Next up #LAvORL#Volemos | #NWSL | #UTAvLA | #AngelCityFC pic.twitter.com/Hou0Q0KpoZ
— Angel City FC (@weareangelcity) August 16, 2025
While Utah are one of the worst teams in the league in terms of results, and with their standout attacker in Ally Sentnor having been traded away, one thing they have improved drastically in recent matches, has been their defense. Utah have only given up two goals in their last three matches, holding both KC Current and Orlando Pride to just one goal each. Considering how potent those attacks are, it says a lot about what Utah have done recently. This match was no different. The first half was pretty split down the middle with both sides coming away with seven shots, both sides earning two corners, and neither side really threatening the goal. It was a defensive chess match. Angel City, who themselves have dealt with defensive issues lately and came into this match with newly signed goalkeeper Hannah Seabert making her first start in her ACFC debut with Angelina Anderson out with an injury, did well to keep Utah from finding an early goal at home. There were a couple of shaky moments where the team nearly got caught out while playing out the back, but they were able to go into the break without conceding.
ALL GAS NO BREAKS 🏃♀️#Volemos | #NWSL | #UTAvLA | #AngelCityFC pic.twitter.com/l9dObkUocw
— Angel City FC (@weareangelcity) August 16, 2025
The second half was a lot less even, and more dominated by the home side who were looking to smash and grab three points for themselves. Royals had more possession, more shots on target, more shots, and earned more corners. The pressure was on Angel City but they didn’t fold. Los Angeles was able to hold strong defensively and keep Utah from finding any late winner, which considering how many goals this team has let in during the second half of matches, showed massive improvement. While the chances were plentiful for the Royals, none really came too close from finding their way into the back of the net. In her debut, Seabert did an excellent job to keep the clean sheet for her new team.
“We didn’t let in any goals. That’s not been something that we have been able to do very much this season. So that was good, but we expect more of ourselves, everybody on our team. And I think that’s important for people traveling, watching us” said Head Coach Alex Straus after the match. “I think we defended set pieces well today. I think they had a lot of corners, and we defended those corners well. So that was a step in the right direction.” As a whole, you could tell he wasn’t happy with the overall performance from the team as they were unable to come away with the win against what is, on paper, an inferior opponent. “It’s a step backwards. Honestly, I think we all agree on that. It’s the easy stuff. Sometimes we miss stuff, but you need to execute on the things that we’ve been working on all week at the standard we want if we expect to go where we want to be” said Straus.
While Straus is completely correct in that this should have been a far better performance from the team, there is still some positive to take from the draw. It was the second draw in a row for the team, both on the road, making it two unbeaten as it stands, breaking what was previously a three match losing streak. The clean sheet was also the first shutout Angel City recorded since their last win, ironically a 2-0 win over Utah Royals in LA, back in early May. It’s going to take a while for changes to happen, and while fans and players alike are desperate to see some wins, little steps like this go a long way in building the future. The team will be back at home to take on a very tough Orlando Pride side, where they will look to extend their unbeaten run, hopefully, in winning fashion.
Thoughts on the draw against Utah? Leave a comment below!