Angel City upsets Orlando Pride, pulls even for final playoff spot

It had been a while since Angel City had tasted the fruits of victory.

May 9 was the exact date that Angel City had gotten a win. In the time since, Angel City got a new head coach and brought in several new players, such as Icelandic forward Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir. Still, heading in to Thursday’s match against the reigning champion Orlando Pride, Angel City was in need of wins to keep themselves alive in the NWSL playoff race. Alyssa Thompson took care of that late in the second half, as her strike late in the second half vaulted Angel City back into the race, as Angel City held off Orlando 1-0 at BMO Stadium.

“I think our last couple of performances have been almost there, but not there,” Thompson said. “I think our Utah performance was not up to what we wanted, and this week we really focused on defense. We focused on not just the tactical stuff, but our energy and being there for each other, and talking a lot on the field. I felt the energy from the team, the whole game.”

The win is the first in NWSL for head coach Alex Strauss since taking over back in June. More importantly, the win puts Angel City at the moment into a three-way tie with Gotham FC and the North Carolina Courage for the eighth and final playoff spot with two months left in the season.

“Today, the performance was really good,” Straus said. “It has not been an easy week. Today we dominated a really good team. What we are doing, the way we are playing, how we control the game, how we build, we wanted to create a lot of chances to get that balance right, and today we did. They played beautifully, and I am very impressed. We just need to be consistent and grow from this.”

After 85 minute of battling both the Pride and a sweltering hot and humid weather, Thompson finally pulled the hosts ahead in the 86th minute. Following a corner, Angel City held the ball inside the Pride penalty area, Riley Tiernan took a shot that was deflected, but the ball fell to Thompson on the left side. Thompson race past Marta back inside the 18, saw a sightline and fired a right-footed shot that got past two Orlando defenders and keeper Anna Moorehouse into the back net. Angel City was then able to kill off the remaining time.

“I felt like when I was in that position throughout the game, I didn’t really take all my 1-V-1 situations, and we were towards the end of the game, so I just felt like I was going to go and do what I usually do and faint and then try to cut it and score,” Thompson said. 

Orlando started out on the front foot early in the match. The Pride had its first great chance in the sixth minute, as Carson Pickett switched a ball from left to right, right back Oihane Hernandez chased the ball down and sent a ball into the penalty area perfectly to the foot of Ally Watt, who had gotten behind the Angel City defense. Watt one-timed a right-footed shot just outside the six-yard box, but keeper Hannah Seabert came through with the kick-save 0ff her left-foot. Seabert came up with another save in the 10th minute, as Haley McCutcheon redirected a Simone Jackson cross towards goal, but Seabert wasn’t fooled, and parried the ball over the end line.

“I think she brings calmness to the team and is able to command the line,” Straus said of Seabert’s performance. “I feel like she’s really doing her job to her full ability, so it gives us the opportunity to do our job to the full ability and we want to give everything. I feel like when she makes those saves, it gives a lot of energy to the team.”

Angel City soon turned the tables, and got some chances themselves. its first chance at goal came in the 19th minute, as Jonsdottir threw a ball into the penalty area, Megan Reid headed a ball for the near post, but Moorehouse managed to send the ball back over the end line. Angel City turned up the pressure in the second half, getting off a flurry of shots, only to seen them miss the far post, though not by much. Orlando’s best chance at a goal in the second half came in the 55th minute, as Watt dribbled from the right side into the penalty area, Watt took a shot, but the ball bounced off the near post.

Angel City won’t play its next match until Labor Day, when they host Bay FC.