Just two weeks into the 2025 NWSL season and things for Angel City FC are, to be quite honest, going about as expected. It’s incredibly early in the season for sure, so there is no reason to hit any panic buttons or make any sweeping statements, but the way the season has gone so far, shouldn’t surprise. After all, this is a club that spent the entire offseason trying, and failing, to find a permanent head coach (though the current statement from Sporting Director Mark Parsons is that one will be brought in this June), in addition to losing a handful of really talented players, without that same influx of talent incoming. That said, coming into the season this was still a team that, on paper, was good enough to at the very least find themselves in the postseason come end of season, now though, the goal is to get to June without falling completely off the pace.
A look at last nights performance. Catch us back at BMO Stadium on 3/30 for our Women’s History Month match.
Post Match Stats | Carmax
— Angel City FC (@angelcity.com) March 22, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Building Chemistry
One of the most obvious things we are learning early on this season, is the same lesson sports has been teaching us for years, you can have all the individual talent you want but if the team isn’t in unison, you won’t have success. That has been the case for Angel City’s defense to start the year. Individually, Savy King, Sarah Gorden, Gisele Thompson and MA Vignola are all incredibly talented, and individually are either the best at their position or a young talent quickly on the rise. However, it’s clear early on, they are not on the same page together. In fairness, Savy King has been moved back to her collegiate position of Center Back after Bay FC had her playing outside on the left. That matters because often times during the match you can see her central partner and NWSL veteran, Sarah Gorden, covering both spaces to try and help out the young King.
While admirable, that cover leaves open space for opposition to fill and usually ends with a clear look at goal. Again, in fairness, that is understandable. A new position, a new team, a new coach which means a new playing style, so having someone like Gorden, who has been here since day one, take the lead on the pitch is a good thing, but sometimes doing the right thing, isn’t the right thing. Again, just two weeks into the season, so there is no reason to sound the alarm, but it is clear that this defense needs to get themselves on the same page. When that happens, this could be one of the stingiest back fives in NWSL. That’s right, we said back five.
“Angelina Anderson, put a cape on!” 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/QzFCaBlHbB
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) March 22, 2025
Angelina Anderson Arrives
This time last season, Angel City goalkeeper, Angelina Anderson, was losing her starting role after a couple of rough showings to start the 2024 season. After a great offseason saw her take the role from veteran DiDi Haracic, opening the season against teams like KC Current and a fiest Bay FC expansion side, proved too much for the young keeper as a few mistakes led to her seeing the bench. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t get the chance to prove herself again that season. Fortunately, she didn’t let that keep her down and came back even stronger this year. With Haracic moving on during free agency, Anderson came into this season as the number one and in the first two matches this season, has further cemented her place between the posts.
It’s early days, but Anderson currently holds an 87% save percentage, has averaged 6.5 saves per 90 minutes and has only conceded two goals. Credit to her, the two goals would have been difficult for even Reed Richards to save. A wide open look from the spot by Gia Corley in the opener, and a far post poke on a corner against Portland. Advise to see previous section on defense, for further. Anderson has been the biggest reason this club has yet to lose a match and have only conceded twice. Not bad start to revenge season for the young keeper.
Identity Crisis
If you have been keeping up with our Angel City content, you will no doubt have heard this before. This team needs an identity on the pitch. All the credit to Interim Head Coach Sam Laity because his job is not to be envied. Having to take control of a club entering a critical season in their early existence, under new ownership, undergoing changes from executive to roster level, and oh yea, he also already knows he wont see the end of the season with his replacement scheduled to arrive in June. Through two matches, it’s just painfully clear this team needs something. What that something is, hard to say and honestly, not our jobs to figure out. Coming into the season, we thought perhaps the true return of Christen Press would be that something after a full, as far as we know, healthy offseason. Yet, through two matches the forward has seen just over 15 minutes of action. Laity curiously left Press out the entirety of the home opener to start the season, and subbed her into the match at the 75th minute mark most recently in against the Thorns.
Again, as far as we know, there have not been any setbacks or new injuries that occurred during the offseason, so unless there is something going on, it makes no sense not to play one of your more dynamic players. Especially when we saw just how effective she can be in just the 15 minutes we saw in Portland. Regardless, Angel City need to find some sort of spark. Draws aren’t the worst, but again, on paper, there is no reason why this team should struggle to get more than a single goal. For all the struggles defensively to start the season, only conceding a single goal in each match, should have been plenty enough to at least see one win. We’ve seen KC Current and Orlando Pride continue to be the powerhouses they were last year, but we are also seeing teams like Seattle Reign and Houston Dash, who were arguably in the same or worse position than ACFC last season, come into this year looking vastly improved and only getting better. The same can’t be said for Los Angeles.
All of that said, we are still just two matches into the season. And perhaps that’s the biggest reason for being a bit harsh so quickly, in the hopes changes get made now, so that this team isn’t looking at another disappointing season come June. So that the new head coach coming in can have something to work with immediately, without feeling the need to just wait it out until offseason. The potential for this roster is there, they just need to figure it out, because once they do, it could be real scary hours in Los Angeles.
Thoughts on the start to the season? Leave a comment below!