Angel City beats the Bay 2-1

LOS ANGELES- In the midst of a Los Angeles heat wave on Labor Day, Angel City played its NorCal rivals at home, successfully starting what could be a new winning streak—this time, putting up two goals against Bay FC in a 2-1 victory thanks to Riley Tiernan and Maiara Niehues. 

Los Angeles brought the heat straight out of the tunnel in front of 14,971 spectators on Monday night at BMO Stadium with a dominant performance in the first twenty minutes. Twelve minutes into game play, Tiernan blasted Angel City onto the scoreboard after cutting inside the box, juking left to off-balance several defenders, and sending an angled left-footed shot to the far side of the goal. It's the rookie's eighth goal of the season.  

Although Bay FC equalized towards the end of the first half, Angel City's Hannah Seabert put up a fight, maintaining a clean sheet with impressive saves until the 37th minute. Midfielder Tess Boade sent a ball to Rachel Hill as she ran into the box. Hill got one-on-one against Seabert and took a shot, which the goalkeeper blocked— but the ball fell back to Hill, who made a successful rebound. 

Seabert sent the crowd into a frenzy of cheers with saves throughout the night, earning her Player of the Match. 

ACFC secured the win in the 77th minute. Defender Miyabi Moriya placed a corner kick near the six-yard line, where midfielder Niehues jumped to make contact with her head. Her shot looped over Silkowitz and into the back of the net to bring the score to 2–1. It's Niehues' first goal in the NWSL since joining earlier this year. 

Angel City is finally starting to get into a winning rhythm. Last week, the club notched its first win since May 2nd against the Orlando Pride. If the past two matches are any indication, a new team is on the horizon, one with a new tactical focus and organization under Alexander Straus.

There was a notable improvement on both sides of the pitch. Offensively, there was more calculation and cohesion between players, and there looked to be more of a balance between aggressive runs and observant holds, which helped keep possession during transitions. Though there were moments of weakness with the backline, Angel City's formation had fewer gaps in coverage and more challenges won against Bay FC. 

“It’s a win at home. That’s what we’re always working for,” Tiernan said. “We’ve had two intense weeks, and it showed on the field.”

Monday's match showed an organization that fans haven't really seen through the club's four seasons. It's something Straus and the team have been working on, in phases, all season. 

“I come from a team that I worked with for some years, which was a very successful team, and so I came here with a blueprint of how it looked there. Maybe it was a bit overwhelming, but it was to present how I want things to look for them, because it's a process to tell them where we're going to go," he said, “I recognized that it was a lot to take in, so I needed to take a step back and break it down a little for them to be able to absorb it better. That’s the feedback I got, and I am not scared of that; we are doing this together as a team.” 

“We have only won two games now in a row; we cannot lose our heads. We still need to work; it’s a process. When we do reach success, I’ll be so proud and happy to share it with everyone who’s been here since day one, year two, or year three, because this team is truly special.”

There was a noticeable absence from Monday's roster: Alyssa Thompson. Rumors have circulated that the oldest Thompson is one of the Women's Soccer League side Chelsea's transfer targets, with a potential transfer fee of north of $1 million. Although he didn't directly comment on the rumors, Straus made it clear that Angel City is focusing on the now. 

“We lost three other international players and we got better,” he said. “I think this group, the way they work and how you can grow together, I’m so proud of them today. It’s not been easy with all of these things … speculation. But anybody, if it’s me … none of us is bigger than the club. We focus on that, what is our value together? And if somebody leaves at some point, somebody has left a couple of weeks ago, I think it does something to a group. It’s not easy, but it’s how you manage it. If I’m being honest, the last couple of days, it’s been difficult. It’s been hard for me in my position when things change,” he said. 

It’s t-minus two months until the playoffs begin, and Angel City needs to secure one of the top eight spots on the league standings table. Heading into Monday’s match, Los Angeles sat at tenth, just two spots below the cutoff. Now, the team is up to ninth with 23 points thanks to Tiernan and Niehues’ goals; already an improvement from finishing last season with 24 total points. 

Angel City's next match is on the road against Gotham FC on Sunday, September 7.