Angel City believe in second-half turnaround

LOS ANGELES — Angel City has been here before. Just last year, they sat in 11th place with little going their way. 

Then, they fired Freya Coombe and appointed Becki Tweed as interim coach, finishing 8-2-5 (in all competitions) and making the playoffs for the first time in club history.

Tweed’s turnaround helped her gain a permanent head coaching role, but Angel City is in the same spot as last year. Through 16 games, the team is in 11th place again. 

They might need a run like last year’s to make the playoffs.

“We've been through it,” Tweed said. “We know what we have to do. It has to be about us. It has to be, “how are we going to show up?’” 

Defender and captain Ali Riley believes the team can recreate their 2023 magic. 

“We believe and support each other every game,” Riley said. “We go out there determined to win. That will continue. I also think we will actually start seeing the points like we did last season. We feel that hope, but we are going to have to change some things.”

Angel City has been competitive in many matches, but the team has struggled to score and defend in transition. They have 16 goals in 16 games. They have also lacked the grit to pull off many close victories. 

In 2023, every win under Tweed except for the season's final match against the Portland Thorns was won by one goal. Savannah McCaskill scored a game-winning goal in stoppage time to keep Angel City’s season alive late in the season against the Houston Dash. 

These types of moments have not gone Angel City’s way. For example, against the Kansas City Current in late March, they equalized late in the match, but VAR disallowed their goal. 

In many games, Angel City has failed to be clinical in the final third, leading to close losses. For example, against Bay, they generated only one shot on target despite holding 59% possession. 

Angel City has often started games well, failed to capitalize on chances, then conceded a goal and momentum. Part of that is because they failed to be ruthless in the final third. They have also struggled to regain momentum when giving it up.

Angel City also needs to defend better during the transition. They have given up the fourth most goals (26), some of which came soon after losing the ball.  

"We have to spend the next four weeks either winning the ball higher up in our counter-press or being able to defend the space in front of our backline better," Tweed said. "How we do it is going to be important and be built into our identity.

Despite widespread struggles, Angel City’s competitiveness in games could give reason for fans to be hopeful. Plus, they have the most wins of the teams not in a playoff position. 

Angel City is in 11th place, but they are only three points behind Bay FC, who hold the eighth and final playoff position.

Tweed wants the team to refine their identity to win the ball higher on the counter-press or better protect the space in front of their back line, limiting transition opportunities.  

Reinforcements could also be coming. 

Forward Messiah Bright, who has only played 241 minutes after being a Rookie of the Year finalist in 2023, could provide a second-half spark. Bright dealt with injury early in the season, and Tweed said she is gaining fitness and confidence. 

The break comes at a good time for Bright to build towards the second half of the year. She started Angel City’s first NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup match against Club América, showing her ability to create chances.

Tweed thinks she will only become “sharper” as her minutes increase.  

“Messiah [Bright] is starting to see more minutes because she is starting to be more confident, get fitter, and shake off a couple of knocks she has had over the first half of the season… I think we will see a completely different side of her in the second half of the season,” Tweed said.

The Los Angeles Times reported that two-time World Cup champion forward Christen Press could be ready for “significant playing time” after the break. 

When asked on July 16, Tweed did not confirm that timeline to The Sporting Tribune. But if Press returns, she could also make a difference. 

“The time will come when it will come and when the time is right for her,” Tweed said. “We have to take everything into account, her body and mind.”

The L.A. Times also noted that Angel City is “nearing deals on two significant summer signings.” While it is unclear which positions these additions would be at, they could also impact. 

That remains to be seen, but Angel City’s current squad also has a chance to grow in the Summer Cup, plus a friendly versus FC Juarez Femenil in mid Aug. There is little pressure for results in these fixtures, allowing the team to experiment.

“Summer Cup games give us an opportunity to look up some of the players and get some players to game fitness. It also lets us work on us and what we want to get better at,” Tweed said.

This year has been difficult to get player's minutes because there is no Challenge Cup. This is a good opportunity for us to reset and refresh.”

Tweed said that 17-year-old forward Casey Phair would appear during the Summer Cup. The South Korean international, who became the youngest player to play at a World Cup in 2023, has yet to debut professionally after signing with Angel City ahead of the season.

Phair was out during Angel City’s first Summer Cup match with a “head” injury, but Tweed still expects her to feature.

“I expect her to see a good amount of minutes in this tournament,” Tweed said. “She has worked hard for it, and she's earned it. I am excited to finally get her on the field.”

Angel City’s next regular-season match is on Aug. 24 against rivals the San Diego Wave. That gives them over a month to regroup and prepare for the season's final stretch. The team appears to be bought into making a run happen.