Angel City looks to improve after final loss of the season

LOS ANGELES -- Angel City wrapped up the final match of the 2024 regular season against the Portland Thorns with a 3-0 loss on Friday. Under the rain and night lights, Angel City couldn’t get Portland away from the goal. It wasn’t how ACFC wanted to end the season, but rather, it was a snapshot of the issues the team has dealt with during the past 26 weeks. 

The visitors struggled to maintain defensive lines and shut Portland’s offensive chances in the first half, eventually being outshot 7-2 and down by three at halftime. In the 16th minute, Portland's star of the night, Christine Sinclair found the back of the net off a rebounded ball. Keeper Didi Haračić had stopped Sophia Smith's run but her save sent the ball to Sinclair's feet. 

Sinclair made her 200th NWSL appearance in her last career match. The Canadian star had 23,212 fans at Providence Park on their feet as she scored for her celebratory retirement match. 

ACFC had a chance to respond in the Angel City in the 22nd minute. Defender Christen Press, who made her first start of the season since returning from her ACL injury, played a ball into the box for forward Sydney Leroux, who attempted a lateral pass. It was blocked by Portland's defenders and returned to Press who took another shot but was also denied. 

In the 26th minute, Midfielder Sam Coffey forced a turnover in the center third and sent Smith a pass as she made a run up the left half-space. Smith sprinted and sent a left-footed shot past Haračić and inside the far post.

Then, during the first-half stoppage time, Morgan Weaver sent a ball into the net off a header from a pass by Sinclair. 

After being eliminated from postseason contention in week 24, Angel City finished 7-13-6 (24 points). Friday's match secured Portland's spot in the playoffs. Now, the team looks towards the off-season to rebuild and improve ahead of the 2025 season.

During Friday's match, nine Angel City players remained available as free agents: DiDI Haračić, Christen Press, Jasmyne Spencer, Meggie Doughtery Howard, Katie Johnson, Merritt Mathias, Claire Emslie, Madison Curry and Hannah Stambaugh. The club announced Leroux's re-signing through the 2027 season earlier this week.  

With the season over, Angel City must analyze what has gone wrong and how to move forward. 

"I think I like to take some time and reflect on the season as a whole, but I think, you know, obviously, something that is huge for us is that we've conceded way too many goals in transition. And it was the same story tonight. We conceded all three goals in transition moments of us having the ball, and within three-four passes, we've conceded three goals. So I think that's something we have to be really conscious of, and that's something that we have to look at, I think we've conceded 16 goals this season in defending transition, and that's a problem, especially in this league. That's something that we have to be in control of, something we have to look at," head coach Becki Tweed said. 

"I think today is the first time that we haven't scored in a while, as well. So it hasn't been about us not being able to score goals. It's been about naive moments that we've conceded way too many goals. We've given away too many points from leading positions. And I think, you know, I'm not going to sit here and say that it was the season we wanted because it wasn't. We were far we needed to be, but I do think the majority of it is in our control, and it's things that we can fix, and we have to go away and figure out how we're going to fix those things," she said. 

With one of the most expensive rosters, Angel City is the highest-valued team in the NWSL. Earlier last month, the team and two executive leaders were hit with the league's steepest sanctions in history for violating player salary cap payments. A focus moving forward is on incorporating younger players on the pitch to create big impacts. 

Despite the shortcomings of the team's performance, there are positives to highlight. 

" I think those are games that you find character and you find belief. I think those moments are huge. I think we know we've had the flip side too, in the sense that we've been up and given away lead. So finding those positives are really important. I think, obviously there's been a bunch of firsts this season. I think the summer cup for us was a really positive upward trend where we really started to find an identity and and who we were going to be." said Tweed. 

"But we're still a new club, and we are still building. And, you know, I take a step back at the end of the game and watch, obviously, the club here celebrating Christine Sinclair's retirement. And it's taken years in the in the making for this club to be huge successful. And those are things that, you know, teams need to strive towards in the NWSL, and I think being able to be part of that tonight, and see it is something that just motivates the club myself, the players to just, you know, continue to get better."