Angel City FC has come a long way for a team set to kickoff just their third season in the NWSL. From arriving with more hype and excitement than any expansion team, across any sport, has ever come with. To immediately having to overcome not one, not two, but several major injuries before reaching double-digit matches played. There was the rough start to last season, and the subsequent coaching change that came with it. It wasn’t all bad though, as the change made way for Becki Tweed to take over, and the team went on a tear going unbeaten in 12 matches enroute to snatching their first-ever playoff spot. While they were eliminated in round one, the team did so much more than just provide fans with hope for the future, they found themselves.
2 days ’til we battle for the coast 😤 #AngelCityFC | #BayFC | #LAvBAY pic.twitter.com/Ode4HR10bR
— Angel City FC (@weareangelcity) March 15, 2024
So often in sports we talk about a team’s identity. Some teams adopt an all-business, no fun sir, type of mentality where winning is the only source of happiness and anything less is worthless. There are the teams who have that, just happy to be here, vibe where they aim to have a good time. It doesn’t make them any less competitive, but its clear winning is a happy accident more than the only thing on their minds. For Angel City FC, they are finding ways to merge the two personalities and find that balance between enjoying a kid’s game at the professional level, with all the immense expectations that come with being a sports team in Los Angeles.
Keeping things light, not easy
ACFC have not been shy about this new work/life balance energy they are on lately. Typically, we may see teams say they have fun, but that is usually kept behind the scenes, locked away for all of us to speculate on, however that is not the case with LA. If you’ve followed their socials, you will have seen the plethora of fun videos that have come out from training camp. There was the homage to 13 going on 30, seeing defenders Ali Riley and Gisele Thompson poke fun at the injection of young talent within a fairly veteran squad. That series lasted a couple of videos so go watch it on their Insta. There was also the rain that kept popping up throughout training, that led to a wonderful TikTok of the team recreating various 90’s R&B music video tropes. A video that kindly provided us with a screenshot of Sydney Leroux that will most definitely get lots of runtime on the timelines this season.
— ugh (@838_carlisle) March 7, 2024
Don’t get it twisted though, despite the team fully embracing the good vibes with funny videos and doing more to connect with people outside of the typical ‘watch us run, shoot, and pass in training’ videos, they are still putting in work. One of the common themes that we heard about last season when she came in, has continued this offseason under now full-time Head Coach Becki Tweed, which is trainings are really hard. Throughout the last run of matches it was all we heard about from players, the intensity that hit training, the way Tweed raised expectations and made everyone fight for their place. That hasn’t stopped, with players continuing to say much of the same. “Everyone’s attitudes, mentality and the hard work going in has been amazing. Becki [Tweed] has set a really clear standard with her communication of what our standards are and everyone is totally on board” said defender and Captain, Ali Riley. “There’s just such a family feeling here. I know we’ve said and had that for a couple of years, but it’s really special. Important and meaningful personalities leave the group, and of course they’re not replaced, but you have new faces that can come in and match the energy. You can tell that it’s meaningful to them to be a part of this club. They know the soccer aspect is very important to us and we have a clear goal of winning a championship.”
Injection of youth
About those new faces. This was a very pivotal offseason for Angel City. With free agency now a thing in NWSL, ACFC faced the potential of losing a huge chunk of their core with seven players entering FA with the opportunity to leave. Much of the offseason was locking in and keeping as much of that talent as possible and the club were able to do just that. With only three free agents departing, and losing Scarlett Camberos to protect themselves in the expansion draft, the team returned a large portion of the roster that made the playoffs last season. The club then focused on positions of need and adding depth. The position that needed the most help after last season was midfield, so the team went out and traded for veteran and NWSL champion, midfielder Rocky Rodriguez. The team also acquired Meggie Dougherty Howard from rivals San Diego Wave, and just recently put pen to paper with 17-year-old phenom Kennedy Fuller.
The club didn’t stop at midfield either, with the youth movement touching every position outside of goalkeeper. The team signed standout defender and recent draft pick, Madison Curry as well as the younger sister to Alyssa Thompson, and rising superstar in her right, Gisele Thompson. A trade for forward Messiah Bright, and the signing of 16-year-old wonderkid attacker, Casey Phair, who has already made a World Cup debut for South Korea. “Coming into a winning culture is amazing and it pushes you every day and it puts you in an uncomfortable position, but that’s where you learn to grow” said defender Madison Curry. “Being around all of these amazing women, I was initially scared coming into it, but everyone has been so welcoming. To be part of this team with the culture that it has is the most exciting part to me.”
Year of firsts
As we mentioned earlier, this is only the third season for Angel City FC has existed as a club. One incredibly mind-blowing stat is that in those three years the team has still not had a single second in which the presumed starting XI have all been on the pitch at the same time. With Jun Endo facing season-ending injury that stat will continue this year as well unfortunately. All that to say, this is still a team cementing their identity. A team still aiming for so many other milestones that come before winning the championship. “One of our challenges is we still are a new club in the sense that we still have so many firsts. We haven’t had a club hat trick yet, which is got to be a challenge for our forwards. That’s another first that we want to check off that we haven’t done yet. Having a player in the top goal scorers or assists, those are always going to be the targets. Ultimately we want our individuals to perform” said Tweed ahead of today’s match.
“We’d love to have the ball more and that’s something we’ve worked a lot harder on in preseason, which is exciting. I hope that we can play an exciting style of soccer. We want to be more ruthless than the attacking third. Another part of this is that there is never a smooth journey for a season. We have a group that is able to withstand adversity and deal with moments that we really need to be resilient in.” When put into that perspective its almost shocking to think about. The team has yet to see a hat trick for one of their own, has yet to topped league statistics, yet coming into year three this is a team many have pegged as one who could be fighting for that championship at the end of the campaign.
That’s what makes this season so exciting for so many. This is a club that finally feels like it has figured it out. They have a head coach that is not just beloved, but has the trust and respect of every player in that locker room. Everyone has bought into what Tweed is selling, and they know the standards that must be met. For the first time in a long time the club are looking at a relatively healthy team, with Endo the only player currently on SEI, with Christen Press still on track to make her long-awaited return to action. This preseason has given glimpse into a team that is ready for all that awaits them in 2024. The good, the bad, the joyous times and yes, even the grittier moments. As Tweed said herself “We’ve been through a lot as a group in the last few months, from the course of last season to this season, and that only makes you stronger as a team. We know that it’s not going to be smooth sailing. The end of a sail never is. It’s staying focused on your process, trusting and buying into the process, which is something that this group does really well.”
How are you all feeling about the 2024 season?! What are your expectations for this year? Leave a comment below!