Angel City earned their first regular win over Bay FC on Monday night. The 2-1 victory came on the heels of a tough week for the team as Los Angeles native and face of the franchise Alyssa Thompson was reported to be in talks with Chelsea FC of the Women’s Super League. 

The previous game week, Alanna Kennedy, Katie Zelem, and Julie Dufour were all out with excused absences and after the win over Orlando, it was announced that they would all be departing the club. As one might imagine, the fanbase went wild with speculation. Some, including myself, were skeptical that A. Thompson would make the move. That is until she was listed as out with an excused absence for Monday’s match.

I plan on writing a separate piece on this move if, but more realistically, when, it’s confirmed and there are more details available.

The emotional whiplash of beating Orlando to seeing A. Thompson with the dreaded “Excused Absence” tag was intense. I braced myself for horrid vibes in the stadium. Out of the playoffs, salary cap violation penalty, Paige Nielsen equalizing right after being traded vibes. To be fair, it was a bit tense at the beginning. However, the team came to play and gave the fans a taste of the belief they seem to now have started to develop within themselves. Without A. Thompson, MA Vignola slotted into the left winger position and Gisele Thompson took her place back in the starting XI at right outside back, now seeming to be cleared for about 60 minutes.

For the most part, Angel City looked to be the more organized side. They came out aggressive, unleashing an onslaught of 11 shots in the first half, and pressing hard to win the ball back higher up the pitch. Riley Tiernan, Sveindís Jónsdóttir, and Kennedy Fuller did well to poach passes and disrupt Bay’s forward momentum throughout the match. In the 12th minute, Tiernan broke her five-game dry spell by spamming the chop move enough times to beat five to seven defenders and get past goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz. If it ain’t broke, I guess! From that point on, the crowd was fully behind the players and it felt like the team and the crowd carried each other to a hard fought victory.

Bay’s best efforts came in the first half. They had seven shots, all on target, and they were able to take advantage of Angel City in transition. They had a couple of opportunities breaking out down the pitch and getting in behind while Angel City was too expansive. Rachel Hill’s goal came from an opportunity like this. Bay was able to pull Angel City all the way to the right and cleanly pass through lines to give Hill a big chance 1v1 with goalkeeper Hannah Seabert, which she actually blocked, but Hill was able to tap in the rebound.

However, the team tightened things up in the second half. They were able to more consistently maintain their compact defensive shape. This time around Bay had zero shots on target. Captain Sarah Gorden did a good job keeping Zambian international Racheal Kundananji under wraps, and when Megan Reid had to get in there, she held her own.

Angel City had nine corner kicks presented by Cedars Sinai, and in the 77th minute, Maiara Niehues earned her first goal for the club off a header. From there, Angel City closed out another game on top.

It wasn’t perfect, but over two performances, two victories in a row, Angel City has shown tangible growth. Since the break, they have conceded fewer goals and gotten points on the board. Angel City still needs to work on their quality chance creation. They have been taking a lot of shots, but not too many of above average quality (0.15 or higher). Per FBREF, Angel City lost the xG battle 1.2 to 1.5. However, it is of note that while Hill’s first shot was a big chance at 0.46, her actual goal was an even bigger one at 0.92, which heavily skewed their numbers. Without the goal converted off a close-range rebound, their xG is closer to 0.55. Either way, I think I’d like to see a lot more big circles on the Angel City shot map cropping up over time. They don’t seem to be there quite yet.

Both Gorden and Straus referred to yet another emotional week for the team during the post-game press conference. However, past versions of this team would have let the noise get to them. When they dropped the lead the first time, they may not have come back to get the win. Instead, the squad showed immense resilience earning back-to-back wins in the face of adversity. Straus taking over this team is a process. He keeps saying it. It will continue to be a process. However, this team is certainly different since the break. There seems to be a mentality shift and a belief that is rooted in a nascent identity. There will continue to be ups and downs, but the team is heading in a positive direction.

The seemingly inevitable loss of Alyssa Thompson hurts. However, there’s still so much to be proud of with the group that’s here. The players seem to have direction, and Monday night’s victory was them telling us that fans should stick with them.

Angel City hits the road again with matches against Gotham and the Courage before returning to BMO September 18th to face the Spirit. The team currently sits one point off the playoff line, and they have the opportunity here to keep destiny in their own hands.

**Images courtesy of Angel City