After taking down Seattle Reign at home, and a brief International break, Angel City FC were on the road and back in NWSL action, taking on Houston Dash. This was a matchup of teams looking to find their footing this season, and drastically improve from year’s past, but don’t call this a mid-off. Okay, maybe you can in the overall, but we still saw not one, but two bangers for goals, as the youth movement for Los Angeles looks to be taking shape as the team secure their second win in a row.
Houston, we were a problem 😎 Next up #LAvGFC at @bmostadium.#Volemos | #NWSL | #HOUvLA 1 – 3 | #AngelCityFC pic.twitter.com/wveR8TsjlA
— Angel City FC (@weareangelcity) April 12, 2025
Walk in your trap, take over your trap. That was the energy Angel City were on this past Saturday as they hit the road to take on Houston Dash. Coming into the match as one of only three remaining clubs unbeaten. Angel City looked to lock in three points and do so in a convincing manner so that they weren’t just an unbeaten team on paper, but actually felt like one on the pitch. As we talked about in the preview leading up to this match, Dash have a sneaky tough defense, and coming in, it was clear the best way to really get past that defense was to be willing to take a few shots from range to test the keeper out and keep the Dash on their toes. It didn’t take long to see why that was a solid plan.
Just 13 minutes into the match, Angel City found themselves finding plenty of space along the width of the pitch, attacking the flanks and sending balls into the box. The issue of course, was the Dash defense swallowing up chances and blocking attempts. One such attempt was blocked, but the ball squirted its way outside of the box where ACFC newcomer, Macey Hodge, put a foot on it and slammed home her first career NWSL goal, giving LA the early lead.
Macey Hodge with the rebound for her first pro goal! 🙌
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) April 12, 2025 at 2:29 PM
So nice, the team tried it twice in the 29th minute. Another great Dash defensive effort saw them snatch the ball away from an attacking Angel City, but despite the initial interception, they couldn’t get the ball cleared, leading to Angel City snatching it right back up. However, with the defense shutting down windows on the counter, it was left to another shot from outside the box. From nearly the same spot, this time it was rookie standout, Riley Tiernan, who tried her luck from range, getting her shot to outpace the defense and sneak past Dash keeper, Jane Campbell, doubling the first half lead for LA.
Riley Tiernan with the clutch touch for pro goal no. 2 ✌️
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) April 12, 2025 at 2:46 PM
This was one of those matches that epitomizes the idea that just because a team has plenty of possession, doesn’t mean they were the better team on the day, and having tons of possession certainly doesn’t mean having tons of chances at scoring a goal. Dash finished the first half with 70% of the possession, yet it was LA that finished with more shots (7), more shots on target (4) and most importantly, more goals with a two-goal lead heading into break. In fairness, Dash didn’t lay down and accept their fate. Funnily enough, despite all the possession, their one goal of the day came via counter-attack. After nicking the ball off an LA side trying to play out the back (DO NOT DO THIS), Houston went on a break of their own that had the ACFC defense on skates, ending with Yazmeen Ryan laying off a wonderful pass across the box to a wide open, and running, Bárbara Olivieri, who tapped it home with ease to cut the deficit in half.
Houston Dash takes advantage of the turnover!
Yazmeen Ryan with the assist to Bárbara Olivieri 👏
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) April 12, 2025 at 3:35 PM
The door was slammed shut on the Dash comeback in the 86th minute, when Angel City finally broke down the Houston defense. In fairness, it was an interception that led to a counter, and when you have the speed that Alyssa Thompson does, there isn’t a defender in the league that can keep up stride for stride. Well, there might be one, but luckily she is also in Los Angeles. After swiping the ball off of Houston, the only pass needed sent Thompson running with nothing in front of her except open field, plenty of time, and the whites of Campbell’s eyes as she undoubtedly was left like a deer in headlights having to watch this 1v1 develop. While the Dash keeper did well to get a hand on it, the shot was too strong, and sauce too thick to be stopped, as Thompson got another goal for the tally, making it three on the day for LA, securing the three points and second win running.
Alyssa Thompson gets free and she secures the goal ✅
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) April 12, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Despite not having much possession, relying mostly on the counter and shots from range, this was definitely the most impressive performance we’ve seen from Angel City so far this season. Result aside, the way this squad exuded confidence, the precision at which they moved, the lack of hesitation, and despite dealing with tough weather conditions in regards to the heat, they were able to maintain their efforts and pressure the entirety of the 90 minutes. All around, it was one of those performances that a team can really build from. It’s a bit of a short turnaround, as the team are back in action this Friday to host Gotham FC, but if they can replicate what we saw in Houston, we’ll be looking at another week amongst the unbeaten.
Thoughts on the win over the Dash? Leave a comment below!