The NWSL marketed game week 15 as “Rivalry Weekend” prior to which it promised high-stakes drama between so-called adversaries. Score lines across the matchups were a bit dull, which didn’t exactly help fans feel any better about just how manufactured the whole campaign felt. At least the Cascadia Rivalry (the Portland Thorns vs. the Seattle Reign) ended the weekend with a true clash fueled by hatred.
I will say that the SoCal Rivalry (Angel City FC vs. San Diego Wave FC) is perhaps one of the ones that is actually gaining some traction. As a fan who has been to both BMO Stadium and Snapdragon Stadium for matchups between the two teams, I would say that at least the fans lean into this rivalry. The two teams entered the NWSL at the same time, and over the course of their histories have had players cross enemy lines between seasons. Perhaps most famously was Savannah McCaskill’s move to the Wave in 2024 so she could “win championships.” I’m happy to say that the Wave has not beaten Angel City since she’s moved down the 5. Actually, despite the Wave’s better overall on-pitch results over the past three and a half seasons, Angel City comes out on top in their head-to-head.
Now is when I’ll come out and say that I didn’t watch this game. I was getting married. I don’t plan on going back to watch this game either. Selfishly, I don’t want to mar what has been a pretty perfect past couple of weeks with, by all accounts I’ve seen, a slog of a game. Instead, I’ll share some photos that I liked from the match and any observations or insights that could be gleaned from the raw numbers or media I’ve seen since the final whistle.
San Diego has garnered a reputation for a deadly attack in 2025. Thanks to standout seasons from French internationals Delphine Cascarino and Kenza Dali, a hot streak from the 17 year-old Kimmi Ascanio, and contributions from 14 different goal-scorers the team has amassed 26 goals. Second only to the Kansas City Current who has 32. Former Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall, has the Wave looking a lot better than anyone expected this season. Going into this game, some may have expected Angel City to get a whooping. However, underneath the hood, you’ll find that San Diego is overperforming their xG by 10 goals. The Wave’s performances appear to be coming back down to Earth. In the second round of the 2025 SoCal Derby, Angel City actually won the xG battle for only the fifth time this season. Despite the strong field tilt in San Diego’s favor, Angel City took more shots and had more on target.
In an interview on Full Time with Meg Linehan on August 13, Head Coach Alex Straus spoke about the shifting mentality of the squad. There is a version of Angel City that would have been completely deflated after the 86th minute goal from Makenzy Robbe. However, they salvaged a point and equalized thanks to beautiful service from Sveindís Jónsdóttir to Alanna Kennedy’s head. Straus commented that he was happy that after the goal “they didn’t celebrate, the girls just ran back; they wanted to win the game.”
It’s no mystery that Angel City is going through some serious growing pains. Straus has been tasked with establishing a new culture and style of play in the middle of the season. It has not been easy, and there will continue to be bumps in the road. In the meantime, I will just continue to enjoy the following image of Alanna Kennedy putting her face on the line for a goal:
