There is a generalized agreement in Angel Cityis the front office that this year, the fourth of the club in the Nwslwill be a significant upgrade compared to its first three. The difference comes from how to describe this.
President Julie Uhrman prefers “a new chapter” while the sports director Mark Parsons Likes “Angel City 2.0”.
“My words are 2.0,” said Parsons. “I tell you. This is the two version. ”
They were both right. Because if the operating system still needs a few updates, the opening chapter has had a better end than the two that preceded it with Angel City for an equality of 1-1 on Sunday with the San Diego wave at the BMO Stadium.
Angel City has lost it the last two operators of the season.
“Equality is not a victory. But in many ways, it felt good because we have created a lot of chance,” said Captain Sarah Gorden. “Obviously, there are a ton of things that we have to clean. This is the first match.”
Gia Corley opened the wave scoring in the fifth minute; Alyssa Thompson corresponded to this for Angel City nine minutes after the start of the second half.
“The opening of the season is always really, really difficult,” said the acting coach Sam Main. “You are not sure what you are going to get. You spent eight weeks in pre-season and you enter the first game of the season, and everyone has plans to get hit in the face.”
So, if he didn't do anything else, Angel City has proven that it can punch.
“What we got players was a very, very resilient team and resilient individuals,” added the lay people. “There were times today when we were under pressure and we kept strong. Resilience will keep us in good place as we advance throughout the season. ”
The crowd was announced at 19,728 for the morning Sun-Sun-Splash, making it the first opening match of the Angel City house which was not sold.
And it was not the only bad development for Angel City. Less than 24 hours before kick -off, the team learned that it would be without attacker veteran Sydney Leroux indefinitely. Leroux, who shared the club's advance with seven goals last season, Announced on social networks that she was taking a mental health break.
“After a lot of reflection, I made the difficult decision to get away from football for my mental health,” she wrote on Instagram. “Whoever knows me knows that I am a fighter – I have always been. I am proud to pass, to introduce myself, to give everything I have. But at the moment, I owe me and my children to take a step back and take care of myself.”
“It's not goodbye,” she added. “I will come back.”
The post seemed to catch Angel City by surprise. The club, which signed Leroux, 34, to a three -year contract extension in October, only declared a declaration on Sunday morning, and only after being contacted by the Times.
“Angel City FC fully supports Sydney Leroux in his decision to prioritize his mental health and family,” a spokesperson wrote in an SMS. “As an organization, we deeply appreciate the importance of mental health and well-being of our players and we are with it at each stage of the process.”
Angel City striker Sydney Leroux, beckoned with fans while holding his daughter, red, after a 1-0 defeat against Seattle in the NWSL qualifying series in October 2023.
(Lindsey Wasson / Associated Press)
Leroux was one of the three veterans of the World Cup which did not suit the opening of the Angel City season, but the team knew that the other two would not be available. Defender Ali Riley, who only made three departures last season, and striker Jun Endo, who missed completely last season after having torn the previous cross ligament in his left knee during the pre-season, are both on the list of end-of-season injuries.
Despite the name, the list is mainly intended to provide team teams, as injured players can be returned to the active list at any time. For the moment, however, Angel City is without three players who have combined 26 World Cup appearances, a precious source of experience for a team that launched six players aged 23 and under Saturday, one of the youngest alignments in NWSL history.
The season did not even have five minutes before Angel City late, with a Corley Grand Open taking a pass from Delphine Cascarino in the center of the box, then by sending a straight shot to goalkeeper Angelina Anderson about six meters for his first NWSL goal.
If Angel City needed an awakening, it could have been that because it was the most dangerous team for long sections of the game, even if San Diego dominated in possession. Angel City had two chances in an equalizer in the 19th minute when the first Claire Emslie, then Thompson, was arrested on exceptional stops by wave goalkeeper Kalen Sheridan.
Fourteen minutes later, a Sheridan dive refused Thompson again, stretching his hand to remove the ball from Thompson's right foot to the depths of the box on a head-to-head situation.
But Angel City maintained the pressure and was finally rewarded when Thompson, 20, detached himself on another escape in the 54th minute, this time by obtaining the ball by Sheridan and in the lateral game near the distant post to equalize the score. Midfielder Kennedy Fuller, 18, who played an exceptional match, obtained his first NWSL help on goal.
“She excited me at halftime and I felt more confident after that,” said Thompson.
Midfielder Kennedy Fuller, 18, who played an exceptional match, obtained his first NWSL help on the goal and Anderson scored with five stops.
When asked what was removed from the game, the laity smiled and said “some additional gray hair”.
Then he became serious. Angel City may not have obtained a point, but if he could put the bottle of the way the team played and put it at times at times throughout the eight-month season, he would take this offer.
“This league is absolutely brutal,” he said. “For us, showing the resilience and determination that we have returned to an early goal was very, very good. We will exploit the rest of the season.”
