Here we are. Halfway not only through the NWSL season, but halfway through the summer break for the league. As teams play friendlies to keep fit, train, recover any nagging injuries they have in preparation for what should be a wild second half of the season, we wanted to take a look at Angel City FC and how they have fared so far this season. As we all know, the club came into the year with both lofty expectations, but also a hint of temperance to those expectations as the club knew from the start they would be under the helm of Interim Head Coach Sam Laity until the summer, as they began the search for a new Head Coach after the club parted ways with Becki Tweed in the offseason. The good news, Angel City have that head coach now, a hire that, in the very early stages so far, seems to have been the perfect pick for a club looking to not only win in the immediate, but build a winning culture that will sustain for years to come. We will get into all that, as well as the approaching second half of the season, later. Today, however, we want to discuss the first half of the season. The good, the bad, what we’ve learned so far, and how they have lived up to preseason expectations to this point.
Pure joy ahead! Kicking off the 2025 season at the new ACFC Performance Center 💪 pic.twitter.com/i2fV7hBw3X
— Angel City FC (@weareangelcity) January 22, 2025
The Basics
We are sitting right at the midway mark of the season, with teams having played 13 of the 26 regular season NWSL matches set to be played this season. Angel City currently sit in 11th place with 20 goals scored and 24 goals conceded, with 15 points to their tally. On the surface, it’s not been the season they wanted, but as you all know by now, we love providing context to everything, and when you consider that you will see the team aren’t in as bad a spot as it may seem at first glance. The team are about average when it comes to the overall stats through the first half of the season. According to Fotmob (we know, not the most ideal source but we work with what we have) Angel City are fourth in Expected Goals (0.8), fourth in goals per match (1.5), sixth in average possession (51%) and fourth in touches in oppositions box (318). They are ranked 12th in goals conceded per match (1.8) just above Chicago Stars and Utah Royals. They also rank between 7-9 in most defensive categories in the league, outside of penalties conceded where they have given up third most so far with three.
Okay, now that we have melted your brains with numbers, the gist of it all is that while the team hasn’t been outstanding, they also haven’t been terrible. There have been a handful of results that were either draws or losses that definitely feel like should have been wins, but all-in-all, they are in a decent spot going into the second half, needing to just improve from average, and not having to completely rework or rebuild a team struggling to stay above water. Even in the standings, they may be 11th, but are just three points off Gotham FC who sit in the final spot just above the playoff line, but are also just 10 points off second place. If you read our 2025 season preview, you will know our expectation for the club was two-fold. This was a team that definitely needed to make the postseason this year, but also understanding that with a new/permanent manager coming in, the team just needed to be in a position to build from come that arrival. They are currently doing just that, plenty to build from, still in contention for the postseason, and a run of form away from really throwing their hat in the ring of title contention.
The Context
Anytime you opt for an Interim Head Coach before hiring the permeant one, it’s a risk. A coach who will want to do his best but know no matter what, they will be out the position in short order, and the same goes for players. Even for professionals, it’s hard to fully buy into one coach and their philosophy, when you know they wont be around long enough to see it through to the end of the season. In that sense, Angel City has done a phenomenal job. Players never appeared to be just going through motions, while Interim Sam Laity, was putting players in positions to get the most out of them. The team opened up the year with a four match unbeaten run with two draws and two wins. They then ran into buzzsaws Gotham and Orlando, but after those tough losses, they bounced right back with two more wins before the real adversity hit them. Which brings us to the other bit of context for the early part of the season, the medical emergency suffered by defender Savy King, during the team’s 2-1 win over Utah Royals. It was a scary moment for players and fans alike and one that was, understandably, incredibly tough for the team to ‘move past’ in a sense.
The team lost four of their remaining five matches after the incident, before the break, and they just never really seemed to have recovered emotionally from that moment. Again, fully understandable when you watch a young player collapse on the pitch and need to be evacuated immediately to a nearby hospital. The team needed this break arguably more than any other in the league. That said, even their last match against the league’s best Kansas City Current was a showing of tenacity as the team was able to keep them to just one goal scored and nearly had the result, ultimately falling 1-0 on the road. The match was also the third match under newly hired Head Coach, Alexander Straus. That’s right, the former Bayern Munich Women’s coach had agreed to come to Los Angeles and had begun the very early stages of his tenure, being thrown right into the fire. In regards to Savy King, there is great news to be had. As of the writing of this story, she has recently shared an Instagram story showing she is back to kicking the ball around. It may be some time before we see her return to action, but the fact just two months after the incident she is back to kicking the ball around and even thinking about a return, says a lot about her mental strength and determination. We continue to wish her the best, speediest recovery, and can’t wait to see her back in defense, no matter how long it takes.
Allow us to officially introduce our Head Coach, Alex Straus. #AngelCityFC pic.twitter.com/SwgbPojyRc
— Angel City FC (@weareangelcity) June 6, 2025
Mid-Season Standouts
Several players have already made their mark through 13 matches, and in some very big ways. Starting with defense, Savy King. The outside back came from Bay FC via trade just before the start of the 2025 season and was promptly moved to center back, where she had played a lot of her time prior to arriving in the Bay. In the eight matches she has played this season, she had been a force alongside NWSL star veteran, Sarah Gorden. The pairing was on track to being one of, if not the best pairing in the league. King has won 66% of her tackles, has 10 interceptions, has only been dribbled past three times and has 27 recoveries, again all while missing the last five matches of the first half of the season. Perhaps what really speaks to how impactful she has been, is the way the defense has struggled in her absence.
A pair of attackers are the other standouts so far this season. One is expected, the other, a complete surprise. Alyssa Thompson has really settled into this whole superstar lifestyle on the pitch as she continues to only get better with each match. Thompson has five goals and two assists so far this season, while leading the team in chances created with 25. She has been a killer all season, snatching the souls from defenders and leaving bodies in her wake when she attacks the flanks. Thompson has the second-most shots on target per 90 on the team, second most goals, highest xG overall and per 90, and has become the heir apparent to Christen Press in terms of ‘face of the franchise’. The only criticism is her finishing, Thompson could very well have double-digit goals already if her finishing in the final third was just a little more clinical, but perhaps this break can see her continue her lessons in the Christen Press school of finishing.
The most surprising breakout star this season has been rookie sensation, Riley Tiernan. Brought onto the squad as a non-roster invitee, the forward earned a full contract before the season began with her play in preseason, and that has bled over into the regular season. Tiernan leads all rookies, and the team, with seven goals so far this season, making appearances in all 13 matches so far. She also has an assist to go with her goal tally, sitting behind Thompson for second-best overall rating through the first half of the season on the team. Outside of her goalscoring prowess, what has really impressed has been her high motor. The rookie striker just doesn’t seem to stop, ever. She has two game-winning goals, one a 60 minute goal to take the lead and eventually win the match over Seattle Reign earlier in the season and a goal in stoppage time to secure three points in what was a seven-goal thriller against Washington Spirit, a match Tiernan also had a brace in. Again, this is a player that was a non-roster invitee into camp, so as crazy as it may seem to some, she has gotten it out the mud and has been a very impressive youngster this season, on a team full of impressive youngsters. As it stands she is leading the way for Rookie of the Year, and if her form continues under Straus, could be adding even more accolades come season’s end.
After scoring 3 goals in May and 6 goals this season, Riley Tiernan has won Rookie of the Month for the second month in a row! Put a crown on Riley and sound off in the chat 👑⬇️ pic.twitter.com/vPlskwmeqM
— Angel City FC (@weareangelcity) June 5, 2025
The Big FInish
While a mixed bag of consistency, some really fun highs, and not so great lows, the first half of the season for Angel City has gone about as expected. Perhaps we would like to see them a bit higher up the standings, but what team outside of KC Current wouldn’t say that. The facts are, this team has had to deal with uncertainty at head coach, a teammate suffering a severe medical event, a pretty tough first half schedule seeing them hit the road to take on some of the best in the league, and still, they are in prime position to going into the second half of the season. Alex Straus is no stranger to turning around clubs, and while these things take time, all the club need to do is finish the season in a top 8 spot to secure postseason, and from there its a tournament. Anything can happen. With players like Jun Endo and Ali Riley also getting healthier, and what is likely a Sydney Leroux return after stepping away from the team for a bit, this is a squad that is about to get even more talent available for the second-half push. All they needed to do was keep it close, and they have done just that. Now, we see if they can make the most of it to finish out the year.
Thoughts on the first half of the season? Leave a comment below!