Angel City FC falls behind in the first half and can’t recover in loss to Orlando
Angel City FC defender Gisele Thompson moves the ball up the pitch against the Orlando Pride during the first half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC defender Sarah Gorden looks to pass the ball against the Orlando Pride during the second half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC head coach Becki Tweed enters the field prior to the start of an NWSL match against the Orlando Pride at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC starting eleven pose for a portrait prior to the start of an NWSL match against the Orlando Pride at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC forward Alyssa Thompson, right, dribbles the ball against the Orlando Pride during the second half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC forward Sydney Leroux, left, takes a goal shot against the Orlando Pride during the second half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
A fan cheers during the second half of an NWSL match between Angel City FC and the Orlando Pride at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC midfielder Kennedy Fuller, left, dribbles the ball against Orlando Pride midfielder Haley McCutcheon during the second half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC midfielder Claire Emslie, front, boxes out Orlando Pride midfielder Haley McCutcheon during the second half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Orlando Pride forward Julie Doyle runs down the field during the second half of an NWSL match against Angel City FC at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC forward Messiah Bright, front, controls the ball against Orlando Pride midfielder Haley McCutcheon during the second half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC midfielder Kennedy Fuller kicks the ball against the Orlando Pride during the second half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Orlando Pride forward Ally Watt, left, controls the ball against Angel City FC midfielder Jasmyne Spencer during the second half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC defender Gisele Thompson, right, is upended by Orlando Pride defender Emily Sams during the second half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Orlando Pride forward Marta, left, dribbles the ball chased by Angel City FC midfielder Jasmyne Spencer during the second half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC forward Messiah Bright, right, kicks the ball against the Orlando Pride during the second half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
A fan holds up a scarf during the second half of an NWSL match between Angel City FC and the Orlando Pride at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC forward Alyssa Thompson kicks the ball against the Orlando Pride during the second half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC head coach Becki Tweed reacts during the second half of an NWSL match against the Orlando Pride at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Orlando Pride midfielder Kerry Abello, front, vies for the ball with Angel City FC forward Alyssa Thompson during the second half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC midfielder Kennedy Fuller (17) vies for the ball with Orlando Pride forward Marta during the first half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC midfielder Claire Emslie (10) kicks the ball against the Orlando Pride during the first half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC midfielder Rocky Rodríguez controls the ball against the Orlando Pride during the first half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard chases the ball down against the Orlando Pride during the second half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. Orlando Pride won 3-0. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC forward Sydney Leroux, right, chases the ball down against the Orlando Pride during the first half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC defender Gisele Thompson, front, controls the bal against the Orlando Pride during the first half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
Angel City FC forward Alyssa Thompson, left, looks to pass against the Orlando Pride during the first half of an NWSL match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)
LOS ANGELES The Orlando Pride and Angel City Football Club entered Sunday’s meeting at different ends of the NWSL ladder.
The Pride, unbeaten in their first 14 games before Sunday, is in an early battle with the Kansas City Current for first place, while Angel City has yet to find a consistent form throughout this season.
The form held true for both teams in front a sellout crowd of 22,000 at BMO Stadium.
The Pride (10-0-5, 35 points) took advantage of three scoring opportunities, while Angel City (4-8-3, 15 points) struggled in front of goal, leading to a 3-0 win for Orlando. The Pride moves into a first-place tie with Kansas City with the win.
“It’s just frustrating to lose at home,” midfielder Rocky Rodriguez said. “The first goal came on a giveaway and obviously Orlando’s counter attack is lethal. I still thought we created, especially in the first half, chances …maybe not so much quality chances, but we were there. It just felt like a game we could have gone out with a little more.”
Orlando was staked to a 2-0 lead at halftime on goals by Adriana.
Despite the loss, Angel City is still in the chase for a playoff berth. With 11 games remaining, Angel City is three points behind Bay FC for the eighth playoff spots. There are just four points separating eighth and 12th place in the NWSL standings.
“We just have to better at taking advantage of the opportunities that we were given and putting them on their back foot,” defender Merritt Mathias said. “If we score a goal in the first 20 (minutes) before their first one …I think they were on their heels. When we don’t put, for a lack of a better term, put our foot on someone’s neck and be like we’re going to kill this and you’re not getting any momentum, we leave ourselves open to things like that happening and that’s where we have to be better. We have to sharpen up in the final third because it’s really hard to defend goals in this league and when we create solid opportunities, we have to put them away.”
Angel City has scored 15 goals so far this season, coach Becki Tweed talked about creating a ruthlessness in the attack.
In the late stages of regulation, Angel City had a couple of chances off of a corner kick. Megan Reid’s header was on target, but Orlando goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse tipped the ball over the bar for another corner. On the ensuing attempt, Reid appeared to be taken down by an Orlando defender, but after the referee went to the video review monitors, it wasn’t ruled a foul.
Then in stoppage time, Orlando put the game away as Barbra Banda scored to make it 3-0.
“If we take some of our chances, we could get to 2-1, then it’s game on,” Tweed said. “The longer the game wears on, the harder it is to score almost. After three minutes, we created an incredible opportunity with Alyssa (Thompson) in the box and those are the moments, if you take that chance, you push on and you gain that confidence and I think that’s still something we’re still learning as a group and evolving as a group.
“It (the ruthlessness) is in there, but it has to be in there consistently.”
Angel City will return to action Saturday at home against Gotham FC. That will be the last league game until Aug. 24. The club will start the Summer Cup tournament, July 20.
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