The matchup between Seattle Reign and Angel City FC had it all in a great NWSL game at BMO Stadium: drama, twists, and disallowed goals. At the end, Reign walked away with three points, securing their third consecutive victory with a 3-2 scoreline. But this win was more than numbers on the board; it proved Reign knows how to overcome obstacles and adapt into the worst scenario.
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Right off the bat, Angel City made their intentions known. Only eight minutes in, Alyssa Thompson took the ball, cut into the box, and placed a low shot to open the scoring: 1-0 for Angel City. Reign, looking like a team that had been punched in the gut, needed to answer. And they did.
We kept fighting to the end, and obviously, that's not the result we wanted, but I'm so proud of the group for pushing and battling-a warrior to the final whistle, said Angel City captain Sarah Gorden as she acknowledged the fight her side put up on the field.
Response of Seattle Reign
The second blow for the Reign came just 17 minutes into the match when one of their leaders, Jess Fishlock, was injured and substituted. In came Angharad James-Turner, and the change seemed to have reinvigorated the team. Seattle started to come into the game, and by the 31st minute, the first stirrings of a recovery were evident.
A foul in the box sent Jordyn Huitema to the ground, and Sofia Huerta took the penalty. Without hesitation, Huerta sent the ball into the right side of the net, leveling the game. It was exactly what Reign needed to bring balance both to the score and their emotions.
"We were getting stretched and not in the right positions," Gorden, with continued comments, said about how Angel City defended. "We've got to go back to the drawing board and figure this out."
Ji So-Yun's Strength and Midfield Control
At times, the second half was where the game turned around in midfield for Reign and, in particular, through the peerless Ji So-Yun. It wasn't until the 51st minute that Ji, through pure skill alone, beat the defense and put Seattle ahead. It was a sucker punch for Angel City, who lost control of the game.
It was upon Reign, who continued to capitalize in the gaping holes that their opponent left, while it was up to Angel City to react. On the 59′ minute, Tziarra King scored the third goal when she rounded off a perfect cross from Ana-Maria Crnogorčević. The 3-1 looked safe, but Angel City still had a number of tricks in the hat.
Angel City didn't let up and continued piling pressure. The always-dangerous Sydney Leroux saw a would-be equalizer taken off the board in the 67th minute due to being offside. Then, in the 85th minute, Los Angeles had another goal taken off the board, this time because a foul was called on Leroux during the buildup. The team and fans alike were getting frustrated while hoping at least for an equalizer.
Leroux finally headed it into the net in stoppage time as the deficit was cut to 3-2. But too little, too late for a complete comeback.
Angel City's Fighting Spirit
In spite of that defeat, Sarah Gorden spoke to the fighting spirit of this team: "After that stoppage-time win against Chicago, when MA made that sick pass, I walked away feeling like that's who we are. We're warriors when we're backed into a corner."
Indeed, Angel City fought hard, but this time, it simply wasn't enough as Seattle Reign won through a very good collective display and seizing their chances.
What This Win Means for Reign
With this result, Seattle Reign extend the undefeated run to seven games and is inching closer to the playoff zone. More than that, there was a team that was shown in full-on view that with the setbacks and challenging times of the year, they knew how to reorganize themselves and get crucial results.
It did take leadership from players like Sofia Huerta, playing every minute of the season so far, and Ji So-Yun commanding midfield with poise. Not to mention Tziarra King's effectiveness upfront, scoring yet another goal to prove to be one of the vital cogs in this team.
Angel City Challenge
Thus, the challenge for Angel City will be to improve that defensive consistency and to turn chances into goals. As Gorden alluded to, the talent and the potential are there, but it's the details that separate good from not-so-good.
"We had chances until the last minute. We could've won the game. We could've scored more goals. We've got some things to clean up," Gorden said in the post-game interview session.