Angel City Football Club kicks off its third season Sunday against expansion team Bay FC.
Angel City is coming off of its first playoff appearance and is looking to make another big step this season. Becki Tweed had the interim coach label removed early in the offseason and has had a full preseason to implement her style.
Here are five questions facing the club:
1. Will the reported ownership struggle affect the team?
The first sign that Angel City wasn’t an expansion team anymore was the midseason firing of inaugural coach Freya Coombe last season. Now, just days before the start of the season, sports business website Sportico reported that the club is seeking new ownership. Angel City’s ownership is complicated. Alexis Ohanian is the largest shareholder, with there three co-founding partners (Kara Nortman, Natalie Portman and Julie Uhrman) and a lot of other investors, from actors, actresses, athletes. Sportico reported that Ohanian said he’s not selling his equity. The report stated that the board has hired Moelis and Company to “explore a control sale of the franchise.” This appears to be early in the potential sale process, but with a team that has done everything big and bold, it will definitely be something worth watching. Earlier this week, San Diego Wave FC, who joined NWSL the same year as Angel City, was sold for $113 million. According to Sportico, Angel City is valued at $180 million, the highest figure in the league.
2. Will the kids be all right?
Now to the on-the-field questions and answers. Angel City starts the regular season with four teenagers on the roster. All four – Alyssa Thompson (19), Gisele Thompson (18), Casey Phair (16) and Kennedy Fuller (17) – bypassed college to start their professional careers. Gisele Thompson is still finishing up her senior year at Harvard-Westlake. Fuller graduated high school early and was headed to the University of North Carolina before making the professional jump. Phair was a member of the South Korea World Cup team at 16 years old. This isn’t your normal group of teenagers. “We’re coming into an era where players are developing at a younger age just because of the opportunity that they get now,” Tweed said. “When you look at a player like Kennedy (Fuller), who we just signed at 16 years old, she doesn’t act that age. You have to really look at players as individuals and see where they are in their development.”
3. What’s next for Alyssa Thompson?
Thompson had a memorable rookie season. She was the No. 1 draft pick by her hometown club, scored in the first home game, made the USWNT World Cup team and graduated from Harvard-Westlake. She still managed to play 21 games and scored four goals. With the free agency departure of Savannah McCaskill to San Diego, and the loss of Jun Endo to an ACL injury and the acquisition of Messiah Bright, Angel City could be tempted to use Thompson’s speed and dribbling in a midfield role. Wherever she’s at, Thompson will pose problems for opposing defenses.
4. Who starts in goal?
DiDi Haračić was Angel City’s starting goalkeeper in their first year. Last season, she started out as the No. 1, but suffered an injury and rookie Angelina Anderson took over the starting job. The club also brought in Hannah Stambaugh from Japan. Teams like to have three goalkeepers. Anderson, who was a third-round draft pick, did a solid job in her time last season and Haračić has had a strong run in her true starting role. What qualities are important for Tweed? “That’s ultimately the role of a goalkeeper, is to make game-changing saves and game-changing moments that win you games,” she said. “Another is composure with their feet. Being able to play out the back and help us with the build. Then it’s about their leadership qualities, commanding the box and organizing the team.”
Related Articles
Angel City FC season preview: Aiming to become contenders
Angel City FC signs 16-year-old Kennedy Fuller to 3-year deal
Angel City FC’s season opener rescheduled for March 17
Angel City FC’s Jun Endo to miss season with ACL injury
USWNT sets roster for inaugural CONCACAF W Gold Cup
5. Will Angel City make the playoffs?
With the additional two playoff spots in the league, qualifying shouldn’t be a problem. Winning a playoff game or two and becoming a NWSL championship contender needs to be the next step for Angel City. They will have to overcome the loss of Endo and McCaskill in the midfield, but French midfielder Amandine Henry is here to the start the season, so that will help. Raquel Rodriguez, acquired from Portland, will feature in the midfield. The bigger question becomes: Who will score the goals? In addition to Alyssa Thompson, Bright joins the club from Orlando after a six-goal rookie season, and her continued development will be important. Claire Emslie, Katie Johnson and Sydney Leroux are also attacking options. There’s still a lot they need to get right, but unless things go off the tracks, they should at least make the playoffs again this season.
SEASON OPENER: ANGEL CITY FC vs. BAY FC
When: 4:30 p.m. Sunday
Where: BMO Stadium
TV/radio: Bally Sports West, NWSL+/iHeart, KWKW 1330 AM (Spanish)
Leave a Reply