Can Angel City take the next step in 2026?

Off the field, Angel City has certainly accomplished a lot.

Since its inception in 2022, Angel City has more than asserted themselves. Angel City have played to capacity crowds, established a marketing and branding force that has made them one of the most recognizable brands in NWSL, and have made themselves one of the most inclusive and welcoming teams in the league.

About the only thing Angel City have yet to achieve; consistent success on the pitch. In its four seasons in the league, Angel City have made the playoffs just once, though it hasn’t been for a lack of effort. Angel City have brought in players such as Christen Press, Julie Ertz, Sydney Leroux, Ali Riley and Alyssa Thompson, but despite its star power, Angel City have faltered, mostly due to turnover in the front office and the coaching staff.

However, two games into the 2026 season, it appears Angel City is ready to take that next step and become an NWSL contender. For the first time in its brief history, Angel City has started out a season with back to back wins, but its the matter in which Angel City has performed its two matches that have the teams and its fans increasingly optimistic. Angel City delighted the home crowd with a 4-0 season-opening win, then a week later, Angel City went up north to San Jose to face in-state rival Bay FC and asserted themselves from the start, jumping out to a three-goal lead and eventually got the 3-1 win.

Angel City’s turnaround could actually be traced back to January of 2025, when they hired Mark Parsons as Sporting Director. Parsons then hired Alexander Straus as head coach from Bayern Munich. Straus’ resume was impressive, as in his four seasons in Munich, Straus won four Frauen-Bundesliga titles and a DFB Supercup in 2024. Straus however had to finish his run with Bayern before coming over to Los Angeles, in June, and having to implement his system mid-season led to inconsistent results during the season that contributed to the team missing out on a playoff berth. Angel City hopes a full pre-season under Straus’ system will establish more fluid chemistry on the pitch, and so far the results have showed.

Not that moves still needed to be made to improve the roster. Angel City was aggressive from the start of the January transfer window, bringing in four new players within the first four days of the window opening, with the latter two players being the biggest acquisitions, such as Brazilian midfielder Ary Borges and defender Emily Sams, who Angel City paid $650,000 to acquire from the Orlando Pride. On offense, Angel City has Kennedy Fuller, Riley Tiernan and Sveindís Jónsdóttir at the forward positions its attack is further bolster by the returns of Leroux from personal leave and Scottish midfielder Claire Emslie from maternity leave. The midfield also features Maiara Nieheus, Nealy Martin and Evelyn Shores alongside Borges and the backline features captain Sarah Gorden, Sams, Giselle Thompson, the sister of Alyssa and Savy King, who is back after missing most of the season after suffering through was was discovered as a heart abnormality in a game against the Utah Royals last May.