The stakes coming into this match couldn’t be more clear for either side. Seattle comes into Los Angeles having won their last three matches, all clean sheets, as they look to cement their spot in the postseason and fight off the team’s behind them. Angel City come into tonight having lost just once in their last eight, with plenty of draws, but winners in two of their last three outings. A win at home tonight would see them pull within a single point of Seattle’s playoff position, setting up a wild finish to the season. Just seven matches left in the regular season, including tonight, it’s now or never for Angel City.
The Angel City FC Starting XI for LAvSEA.
Presented by DoorDash
— Angel City FC (@angelcity.com) September 16, 2026 at 6:23 PM
It was another strong lineup from Angel City who are as healthy as they have been all year, only missing players who have been out with SEI (Season Ending Injury) for most of the campaign. From the early stages of the match, we were once again going to see Gisele continue what appears to be her transformation into winger, as she looks to be playing much higher up the pitch than normal, as the team run with five defenders on the pitch, one as a cover for the attacking Thompson.
Through the first 10 minutes of the match, the game plan for Los Angeles was to get Gisele the ball, as she was finding success early getting into space and getting the ball into dangerous positions for her teammates. As has been the story all season, it was the clinical finishing that needed to improve if they were going to come out of this one with all three points.
Putting the ball in dangerous positions paid off for the home side, after a controversial no-call on what looked like a foul in the box that would’ve been a penalty for Angel City, the home side did get a call just moments later after a corner kick resulted in a handball on a Seattle defender. Midfielder Ally Sentnor stepped up to the spot and without much flair, buried it for the lead in the 20th minute.
Ally Sentnor.
Calm. Cool. Collected. 🎯
After conceding the goal, Seattle spend the following 15 minutes coming close to finding an equalizer. They had slowly, but surely, taken control of the match and were the aggressors going forward as they hunted for their goal. The best chance they had was an effort that deflected off goalkeeper Angelina Anderson, hitting the post, nearly getting nudged over the line before defender Emily Sams cleared it out of danger. Just based on vibes, through 40 minutes it very much felt like Angel City would need a second, maybe even a third goal, if they hoped to come away with the win.
Seattle was thiiiiiis close to get us even 🤏
Angel City doubled their lead in the 40th minute on a perfectly played corner kick. Defender Evelyn Shores put together a perfect ball into the box that went near post, finding midfielder Ary Borges, who leaned over, headed it, and watched the ball get past the keeper and over the line for the second goal of the night.
Up, Up, and In 🚀
Angel City doubles their lead with a beautiful header from Ary Borges!
Halftime break came with Los Angeles going into the locker room up two goals. Even with the lead, a strong second half would be needed to see out the win, as Seattle are the one team in the league that can erase a deficit like this in an instant, and wont stop trying until that final whistle. Through 60 minutes, Los Angeles had done well to weather the initial pressure from Seattle to start the second half. Not only that, they were pushing for a third goal on the night, not settling for playing defensively the rest of the match, further establishing this new mentality of aggression the team has shown flashes of throughout the season.
At the 75th minute mark, Angel City began to settle in for the remaining 15 minutes of regulation. With a two goal lead, and after a couple looks for a third goal, now they decided to lock it down and start seeing out the result. Despite very clear tired legs, Seattle were not about to go out with a whimper, knowing all that was at stake in this match.
Angel City made some excellent subs in the 80th minute, one of which wasted no time in making an impact. Just seconds after coming into the match, forward Taylor Suarez got on the end of a great pass that set her free in attack, taking on several defenders before finding just enough space for a shot that was sent screaming past the keeper for the third goal of the night.
Super Sub Suarez 🦸♀️
In this one clip you can watch Taylor Suarez get subbed-in and then score a goal… all within 20 seconds 🤯
As expected, Seattle didn’t go quietly into the night, scoring a goal to make it respectable in the final moments of stoppage courtesy of a Sofia Huerta strike that was hit pure, with power, getting past Angelina Anderson, ruining the clean sheet for Los Angeles, even if it didn’t change the outcome of the match.
Sofia Huerta pulls one back with an incredible goal ⚡ pic.twitter.com/nvVNHMrtCw
— Seattle Reign FC (@reignfc) September 17, 2026
The team was able to see out the win from that point, securing what was a very crucial three points in what is becoming a very tight race for those final two playoff spots. After the win, Angel City sit just outside the playoffs, just one point off of Seattle Reign, with six matches left to play in the regular season. The team now get ready for a match this Sunday, the first of what will be four matches on the road, taking on Utah Royals.
Thoughts on the big win at home? Let us know in the comments below!