Angel City Football Club returns home to face undefeated Orlando Pride

Angel City FC defender Madison Hammond moves the ball against OL Reign midfielder Quinn, right, during the first half of an NWSL quarterfinal playoff soccer game, Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Angel City Football Club emerged from last week’s three matches with four points, a total that is probably below the club’s expectations, but in a league as close as the NWSL, they will surely take those points.

Now we face another challenge to finish the game before the Olympic break.

Starting Sunday, Angel City FC will face the teams in second place (Orlando Pride) and fourth place (Gotham FC) before the Olympic break.

The Pride (10-0-5) are one of two undefeated teams in the league.

“It’s always fun to play against teams that haven’t lost yet because it’s fun to give them problems they’ve never seen before,” said ACFC midfielder Madison Hammond. “I want to beat the team that hasn’t lost yet. That competitive spirit and being able to lean on the support of the home crowd to get a result is great.”

“Three-game weeks are a test. We wanted to get more points, especially away from home. We were able to build better relationships and a better understanding of what we want to achieve with our structure on the field and we can apply that in the future.”

The teams met again for their second game of the season on March 22 in Orlando. Angel City took the lead in the 53rd minute, but the Pride equalized in the 88th minute on a goal from Marta.

The Pride have found ways to get results since that meeting, while Angel City has struggled with itself all season long.

“For us, the game right now is Orlando,” said ACFC coach Becki Tweed. “So every week you have an opportunity to correct the game before and grow from it. You go into every game with the belief and the feeling that if you perform in the areas you need to work on, you will win.”

“I think the mood here is good. I think having a couple of days off really helped and everyone is ready to go to Orlando. And I keep saying it: This team enjoys being the underdog. We enjoy the challenge of playing against teams that are better than us and are in form right now. I think we’ll approach it well. We definitely expect to win the game.”

Angel City is expected to be in a tight race for playoff spots this season. Eight teams will qualify for the playoffs. At the start of this week, ACFC had 15 points, one point behind eighth-place Racing Louisville FC.

Pride Night

The game is Angel City’s Pride Night and Hammond said the night is always special.

“Pride (Night) is very special, not just for our team, but for the entire league,” she said. “The LGBTQIA+ community really supports women’s soccer as a whole. Being able to give back to our fans and a larger part of our society is extremely powerful.”

“It’s inspiring to see that a football match can be such a safe place full of love, where people can be themselves and enjoy the game. I’m proud to be part of a club that fosters such a space and to be able to do what I love here as myself.”