Angel City FC’s poor match results and diminished roster have reduced their playoff chances to slim-to-none.
This year’s regular season for Angel City FC has been rough. Currently, they are 6-6-10 with four games remaining in the regular season before the playoffs kick off in November.
The continuous losses have hurt the soccer team’s performance in the NWSL bracket, including their past four games. In these must-win games, including their most recent loss to Racing Louisville, Angel City have come up short, jeopardizing their already bleak chances at the postseason.
The club lost some dominant players this year, especially with Alyssa Thompson going to Chelsea in the midst of the heaviest part of the season. With these roster impacts, the team had to adjust and reconvene their starters and strategies.
After the Thompson loss, ACFC acquired midfielder Nealy Martin from NY/NJ Gotham FC who has helped the club get their ball movement back.
Most recently, Angel City picked up Midfielder Hina Sugita from the Portland Thorns — another player that could propel the team forward in their goal for a playoff spot. Sugita was a key asset in the Thorns ball distribution and could help ACFC with better consistency in the field.
Looking at possible playoff scenarios, the NWSL tournament sends only the top eight teams to the playoffs for a chance at the NWSL Championship title. For Angel City, they need a multitude of good luck and killer play to make it this year.
The team sits 11th in the rankings with 24 points, while Racing Louisville holds the eighth place rank, sitting five points ahead of ACFC. In order for Angel City to bump up, they need to win all four of their last regular season games.
On Monday, they play the top-seeded Kansas City Current with 56 points, almost more than half of what ACFC has. In that game, Angel City must be at their absolute best, and they need to capitalize on chances in the box, be fluid in the midfield with distribution and disrupt their opponents set plays.
In addition to having a perfect rest of the season, Angel City also is relying on other teams having bad luck. Teams above ACFC, like Bay FC and the Houston Dash, need to lose — not draw — all their games in order for Angel City to also have a chance at tournament play. A draw for these teams would not be due either, only a loss is acceptable for ACFC to advance.
Everything must go right in order for the Angel City to keep playing this year. With their track record, it looks like the team might want to focus on getting better for next season instead of trying to make it to the tournament.