Angel City FC drops season opener

LOS ANGELES – The Angel City Football Club (ACFC) fell 2-1 in their 2023 season opener against NJ/NY Gotham FC in front of a sold-out home crowd of 22,000 at BMO Stadium.

Angel City opened the scoring in the 11th minute when midfielder Dani Weatherholt made a well-weighted pass to forward Alyssa Thompson, who was running into a pocket of space in front of the Gotham back line. Thompson took a touch and put a hard right-footed strike on frame. Goalkeeper Abby Smith jumped and got her fingertips on the ball, but it bounced off the bottom of the crossbar and into the back of the net.

“Today wasn’t the result we wanted,” Thompson said. “I am happy about my goal, but that doesn’t define the game, so I just wish we could have gotten the result we wanted.”

ACFC laid claim to a piece of NWSL history in the 15th minute after forward Jun Endo scored an eye-popping goal from 40 yards out, catching Smith off her line. The team’s celebration was soon cut short, however, when the officials paused the game to review the goal (2023 is the first season video assistant refereeing [VAR] is being used in the league) and ruled that Endo had fouled a defender before taking her shot. It marked the first time in league history a goal was overturned by VAR.

“When we didn’t get the VAR decision our way, we let down some momentum and that’s something we have to learn to be better,” said Angel City team captain Ali Riley. “We have to be able to be more consistent through 90 minutes because I do think there were times where we looked really good and we looked dangerous. “

The home side had another chance in the 22nd minute when Endo was fouled five yards out from the area. Forward Claire Emslie stepped up to take the kick and curved it over the Gotham wall and on target, but Smith dove to block the shot.

Angel City goalkeeper DiDi Hara made a clutch save in the 26th minute when Gotham forward Midge Purce took a low shot from the corner of the six-yard box; Hara dove and collected the close-range effort.

The keeper came up big again in the 35th minute when Gotham defender Kelley O’Hara beat her mark inside the six-yard box and shot toward the near post. Once again, Hara dove to the ground to block the shot.

The Angel City attack kept the pressure on and found a final near-chance in first-half stoppage when a cross by defender Ali Riley landed at the feet of defender Paige Nielsen near the edge of the area. Nielsen’s shot bounced off a defender and fell to forward Katie Johnson, who put a shot on target at the near post, but Smith dove to block the shot.

Gotham equalized on a penalty kick in the 56th minute. Forward Svava Rós Guðmundsdóttir got one-on-one with Hara and dribbled into the box, where Hara dove onto the ball, appearing to clip Guðmundsdóttir’s foot with her arm. No foul was called on the play, but upon a second VAR review, a penalty was called, and Purce buried it to bring the score to 1–1.

The visitors took the lead in the 65th minute when Purce found forward Lynn Williams on the right. Williams had an unobstructed look from the right side of the 18 and put her shot inside the far post.

In stoppage time, Angel City nearly equalized twice. First, midfielder Savannah McCaskill switched the field with a looping pass to defender Megan Reid as she made a run to the far post. Reid got a foot on the ball, but her shot was wide. 

The team’s next chance came a few minutes later on a free kick by McCaskill that was awarded after forward Simone Charley was brought down on the edge of the penalty box. McCaskill’s shot also flew wide.