Angel City Football Club’s fourth season comes to an end Sunday on the road against the Chicago Stars.
To say that this has been a wild ride would be an understatement.
“It been an up-and-down year, for sure,” Angel City goalkeeper Angelina Anderson said. “Every year is going to have ups and downs. It’s where do we go from here and taking the positive moments. We’ve had some big wins this year.
“When you think about all the things we had to deal with this year … I’m just hoping we can all just kind of take a step back and reflect and take a moment to be like, ‘Yeah there are definitely things that we need to improve on, individually and as a team.’ But also recognize the good moments and draw strength from that moving forward.”
The 2025 season began with interim coach Sam Laity. In March, veteran forward Sydney Leroux announced she was stepping away for the season to focus on her mental health. Two months later, Savy King collapsed due to a heart ailment during a win against the Utah Royals. the roster went through a midseason makeover and Alex Straus finally arrived as the new coach in June and had to hit the ground running. Former No. 1 overall draft pick Alyssa Thompson was sold to Chelsea. And locals and fan favorites Christen Press and Ali Riley announced their retirements after the season.
The list is a bit exhausting.
“I feel like we’re in a good place going forward and going into next season,” defender and captain Sarah Gorden said. “That’s how I really want to end this game (Sunday against Chicago). I’m hoping to end it on a really positive note.
“I feel like what we’re trying to build here is coming together and we can see that in training and that’s what’s got me excited going into the last game, but also building forward into next season as well.”
Straus took over in June after leaving Bayern Munich. The roster overhaul will likely to continue this offseason as he prepares for his first full training camp.
“I think everybody in the building and everybody on our team and the players and the staff are very excited about the way we are going,” Straus said. “We really believe that Angel City version 2.0 that is going to play in 2026 will compete in a completely different place that we have been this season.
“It was a difficult year and here comes a new head coach with new ideas and is going to build for the long-term future for the club and in the middle of this process and then it becomes chaotic for everybody to control their emotions. Then we’ve had players leaving in the summer … then we had to adjust a little bit.
“This is a discussion we had before I came, should I come (over) now? Should I come in January and start? Then we would have lost these four, five months of preparation for 2026. For me personally, I had to understand the similarities and differences so that I’m better educated going into the next year and we can do the adjustments according to the roster and way we’re going to play
In its fourth season, Angel City has made the NWSL playoffs only once (2023). A win Sunday would tie the 2022 and 2023 teams for most in a season (eight). However, the club is finishing a second consecutive season with double-digit losses.
ANGEL CITY FC at CHICAGO STARS FC
When: 2:15 p.m. PT Sunday
Where: SeatGeek Stadium; Bridgeview, Ill.
How to watch: NWSL+