Angel City dominates 4-0 in season opener against Chicago Stars

LOS ANGELES – Angel City made two statements during its season opener on Sunday’s 4-nil victory over the Chicago Stars at BMO Stadium: its young roster is ready to win and this is a brand-new version of ACFC. 

Three of the night's four goals were scored by players under the age of 22, and the return of Savy King in front of a crowd of 16,813 has given fans hope that this season will finally be a winning one. 

After Kennedy Fuller scored Angel City’s first goal of the season in the 33rd minute, Angel City’s offense became unstoppable. The 19-year-old sent a right-footed shot from the right side of the box into the centre of the goal off an assist by Ary Borges. 

Twenty minutes later, Fuller added an assist with a cross pass to Evelyn Shores, who headed the ball into the top right corner of the net. Throughout the first half, Angel City maintained 63 percent ball possession and noticably less turnovers than last season. 

"Our motto going into this game was 'I got you and we got you'. My teammates are what I mean. Every time I lose the ball, or I'd miss, G [Gisele Thompson] was right there behind me to win the ball back, and I think it's really instilled in our players... That's so helpful," said Fuller on team support this season.  

If Sunday’s home opener was any indication, it seems the offensive woes of Angel City are in the past. The offense netted three more goals in the second half with an energy that rarely appeared in 2025.

"The biggest thing is, if we're having fun, each and every one of us is expressing ourselves, and we're playing how we want to play, and we're doing what we're able to do and what we're good at, then we're gonna be so good. And that's what we've really been pushing for, both our team and the younger players," said Fuller. 

Fans erupted in cheers as King made her return to the pitch as a substitute in the 63rd minute. The 21-year-old defender had not played since May 9, 2025, when she suffered a cardiac event on the field during a game that required her to get open-heart surgery.

In the 66th minute, Borges scored her first ACFC goal, intercepting a bad pass by Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher and slipping the ball into the back of the net. Angel City announced the signing of the Brazilian midfielder to a three-year contract in January. 

"To have a high team press is part of our identity. It's one of my qualities to be aggressive in the press, to bring intensity to the team. We train a lot for this situation, and we knew it was going to happen. I was there to pick up the ball and finish," said Borges on her goal execution. 

Niehues' right-footed shot into the centre of the goal in the 70th minute was the cherry on top for a club that had not won a season opener since its inaugural season in 2022. ACFC’s Angelina Anderson made two saves to record the clean sheet. Statistically, Angel City outshot Chicago 17-7 and put six of those shots on target. 

The start of the fifth season is also the first full season with coach Alex Straus, who took over in June last season. "We lost a few games last year, one crucial time of the season, and one of the things that I tried to do is that we need to be stable, we need to be balanced. Today is great, and we're enjoying tonight," said Straus.

But the work isn't over yet, and Angel City still has 29 games left of the regular season before it can reach the playoffs. "We need to keep what’s good and change what’s not good. We’re still in the process- it’s not over,” said Straus. 

Angel City faces northern California rivals Bay FC next on March 21 at PayPal Park.