Preview: Spirit Looks to Bounce Back, Defeat Angel City FC on Second Leg of Away Stretch
Los Angeles, Calif. (09/26/2024) – The Washington Spirit will face Angel City FC on Friday in the final regular season matchup between the sides this year. The match begins at 10 p.m. EDT at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California and will be broadcast nationally on Prime.
The Spirit
Friday night’s matchup with Angel City FC offers an opportunity for the Spirit to reverse momentum following a poor performance against the Kansas City Current last week. The matchup between two of the top four teams in the NWSL resulted in a 0-3 shutout loss for the Spirit.
Kansas City’s electric offense punished the Spirit early and often with Nichelle Prince breaking the dam in the fourth minute before the Current added two more before the final whistle blew. Temwa Chawinga, MVP candidate and Golden Boot leader, added her 16th goal of the season in the contest.
Lena Sliano picked up a red card in the waning moments of the match, so she will not be available to play in this weekend’s match.
Despite the loss, the Spirit remains in second place on the NWSL table. Though, Gotham FC (43) and Kansas City (42) are in the Spirit’s rearview mirror at only one point and two points, respectively, behind Washington.
While the NWSL Shield is not completely out of reach, especially considering the Spirit’s matchup against the League-leading Orlando Pride next week, last Friday’s loss puts the Spirit behind the unbeaten Pride by seven points with just five matches to go.
The Spirit won decisively over Angel City FC in the first matchup this season, lifting the Spirit to a winning record in the all-time series at 3-2-0. Ashley Hatch, who has featured prominently in the Spirit Starting XI since the injury of Croix Bethune, has scored the most goals of any player in the series (3). Every Angel City goal (6) in the series history has been scored by a different player.
In the first meeting between these sides, Trinity Rodman notched a brace in only 30 minutes, the fastest brace by a Spirit player. This was outdone by Hatch only two weeks ago when doing so in 26 minutes versus the Houston Dash.
With multiple shots on goal last match, Rodman has recorded 33 shots on goal this season, the second-most by any Spirit player in a single season. Rodman accounts for three of the Spirit’s top four single season shots on goal records (2021, 2023, 2024) and trails Crystal Dunn’s 2015 season that saw 48 shots on goal.
Next, the Spirit plays the top-ranked Orlando Pride in what will be one of the most anticipated matches of the 2024 NWSL season. Kicking off in Orlando on Sunday, October 6 at 5 p.m. EDT, the match will be broadcast on ESPN2.
The Opposition
Angel City enters Friday’s matchup on a short week, having drawn 2-2, with Portland Thorns FC on Monday night. The Los Angeles-based side started the scoring with its young ace Alyssa Thompson, but the team surrendered two second half goals before Claire Emslie knotted the match in the 76th minute to salvage a point at home.
The match was relatively action-packed with a combined total of 28 shots and 11 shots on goal – 21 shots came from inside the box. Notably, Angel City has now lost 16 points from a winning position this season, the most of any team. With just 22 points (6-11-4) on the season, Angel City currently sits in 10th place and outside of the playoffs. The team is not far off, though, as only three points separate Angel City with eighth-seeded Racing Louisville FC. That said, 12th-ranked San Diego is the same distance away from Angel City, meaning each of the final five games are of tremendous value.
In its last seven matches, Angel City has mustered only two wins (2-4-1), earning only one point in its last three matches. With five matches remaining, Angel City has the potential to climb the table. After playing the Spirit, half of Angel City’s remaining opponents are currently ranked 11th or lower on the NWSL table.
In its last matchup, Washington definitively defeated Angel City, 4-2. This match, characterized by pure frenzy, included a Spirit record four goals in the first half and tied an NWSL record with a combined six goals in the opening 45. Trinity Rodman (2), Ouleye Sarr and Casey Krueger accounted for the Spirit goals, three of which came within six minutes of each other.
The Angel City roster has three players that were named to the NWSL Best XI for the month of August – Alyssa Thompson, Sarah Gordon and Didi Haračić. The award was the first such honor for both Thompson and Haračić. Additionally, legend Christen Press has returned to the pitch following an extended absence while recovering from a knee injury. She has appeared in four matches this season for a total of 60 minutes.
Next up, Angel City travels to Seattle for a 10 p.m. EDT match on October 4.
Series History
The Washington Spirit owns a 3-2-0 regular season record against Angel City FC. The Spirit’s three total wins have all come in succession of one another dating back to May of 2023. The Spirit also leads on the all-time goal differential, +2 (8-6). On the road, the Spirit is 1-1-0, winning its last trip to BMO Stadium off a thrilling, stoppage time penalty kick from Ashley Hatch.
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