For the first time in more than a month, Angel City FC will play a league game.
Angel City went into the World Cup break with a 2-1 victory over the North Carolina Courage on July 9. Since then, the only competitive games were in the Challenge Cup (a 2-1 win over Portland and 1-1 draw against San Diego).
Those two results help Angel City increase their unbeaten streak to seven games (4-0-3) under interim coach Becki Tweed.
“We’ve been building over the last couple of weeks and I still think that we have a huge room to grow as a squad,” Tweed said earlier this month. “There’s spaces that we’ve been brilliant and there’s spaces that we can still continue to improve in, as we can improve every day.”
Angel City (4-8-5, 17 points) returns to league play on the road against Racing Louisville FC (4:30 p.m., BSSC). This is the first of the final seven of the regular season.
Angel City is four points behind San Diego for the sixth and final playoff spot. There are only six points separating San Diego from last-place Kansas City.
“Going into the final stretch of the season is exciting,” Tweed said. “We’ve given ourselves an opportunity to really show who we are and who we want to be in the last stretch of it. This team is going to compete until the final day.”
Angel City, much like every other team, will also be reincorporating their World Cup players back into the mix. Ali Riley (New Zealand) and Alyssa Thompson (U.S.) are on the trip.
Racing Louisville is in seventh place (19 points) and will have a large contingent of their World Cup players. Brazil’s Ary Borges, USWNT’s Savannah DeMelo, Nigeria’s Uchenna Kanu and China’s Wang Shuang will be available.
The teams met April 15 at BMO Stadium. Racing Louisville led 2-0 at halftime, but Katie Johnson and Savannah McCaskill scored in the second half as Angel City was able to earn a draw.
Hill, Eddy added to roster
Local products Kelsey Hill (Pepperdine) and Elizabeth Eddy (Costa Mesa, USC) were signed to contracts through the end of the year.
Hill and Eddy were added as National Team Replacement Players.
“We’re so happy with what both Elizabeth and Kelsey have done in their time with our team,” ACFC general manager Angela Hucles Mangano said. “They have each earned their respective spots on the roster. What they contribute to the environment and their ties to the community makes this very special.”
Angel City FC at Racing Louisville FC
When: 4:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Lynn Family Stadium, Louisville, Ky.
How to watch: Bally SoCal, Paramount+
