September 17th @ Snapdragon Stadium

Records: 

San Diego Wave FC 9-6-4 (3rd)

Angel City FC 7-6-5 (7th)

Last Match:

San Diego Wave FC Lost vs. Washington Spirit 3-4

Angel City FC Lost vs. North Carolina Courage 0-1

SoCal Showdown (Part 2)

Angel City FC travels to San Diego this weekend to take on in-state rivals San Diego Wave in a match that has local and league relevance. 

Grudge Match

These two clubs are not strangers, and this will be the fourth matchup between them, in fact. They met twice during the 2022 Challenge Cup (1-1 draw, 4-2 Wave win), and once before in the regular season. That was a barn burner of a game this writer attended back in July, when league newcomer Claire Emslie scored the go-ahead goal in the 81st minute. Angel City FC played in front of 22,000 home fans that night, which probably aided their 10-woman win due to a Tyler Lussi red card in the 79th minute. I passed some Wave players on the way out of the stadium that night, and needless to say, they were an unhappy looking lot. I think they felt they were a better team that night, and will definitely have something to say (on the field) towards avenging that international break loss.

This match will include the full Wave squad, including league-leading scorer Alex Morgan along with midfielder Taylor Kornieck, defender Naomi Girma, and Canadian international Kailen Sheridan. That’s four starters who were missing from the last match, and Morgan is seemingly back to her pre international break form, scoring four goals in her last three games combined. I cannot emphasize enough how much this game means to this Wave team, given their recent fall from the top spot (they are not that far off) and loss to the Spirit on a penalty kick in the 100th minute. This new home atmosphere will surely propel them back into the top spot and Stoney will have her squad raring to go in this big moment for the club.

International Flair

Between the two teams, there are players from six different continents represented. This game will feature a healthy mix of homegrown California talent (Alex Morgan hails from Diamond Bar/played for USC, Dani Weatherholt hails from Laguna Beach/Santa Clara, Megan Reid from Orinda originally trained with San Diego for a month before getting the call from Coach Freya Coombe, Christen Press hails from Los Angeles/Stanford, although Press is out for the season with an ACL tear, much to the chagrin of Angel City and NWSL fans everywhere) and world footballers representing eleven different federations. It’s a good sign for the league when players from all over the world want to come and play here.

For those curious about the roster spots I’m referring to, keep reading. First up is forward Claire Emslie, who hails from Scotland and also appears on Nick’s Fantasy NWSL “Trending Upward” Team of the Week (along with Paige Nielsen and the Wave’s Amirah Ali). Japan’s Jun Endo is capturing the hearts of fans with her play and even has a phrase coined after her (see “You’ve Just Got Endo’ed” shirts here). Brazil’s Stefany Ferrer Van Ginkel has not featured much for the Sol Rosa (pink pastel) this season, but she joins the litany of young Brazilians working their way into league rosters (or already making waves on the field). Canada’s Vanessa Gilles anchors Angel City’s defense and scored the first (regular season) goal in franchise history. The Wave’s (and Canada’s) Kailen Sheridan protects the posts and even though Sydney Leroux has played for the U.S. and won a gold medal, she was born in Canada.  

France’s Clarice Le Bihan joined Angel City FC from Montpellier and Germany’s Almuth Schult and Marleen Schimmer add to the European tally. Miri Taylor, Jodie Taylor (Taylor is a popular surname, eh?), and Carly Telford round out the British contingent (of players, more on the coaches later). Sweden’s Sofia Jakobsson, Jamaica’s Allyson Swaby, and Australia’s Emily van Egmond complete the tour. Ten months from now you might be seeing these names again during the FIFA Women’s World Cup jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

British Buddies

The players aren’t the only ones with international backgrounds, though. Both coaches were born in, played, and coached in England before hopping across the pond to take over the helm of American clubs (i.e. reverse Ted Lasso). Well-known San Diego Wave FC President Jill Ellis also has English roots. But the connections don’t end there…

In the ‘90s and 2000s, Wave FC coach Casey Stoney played for Chelsea Ladies (among many English clubs she played for). On that team, she had a teammate named Enioka Aluko, first Sporting Director for Angel City FC. With this much English blood in attendance, you can bet the group will be sharing a pint at a pub with a Union Jack flag or a bulldog on the door after the match.

Homecoming/New Stadium, Who Dis?

Speaking of home, this game is a homecoming of sorts for the Wave and their fans. Last month, the team played their last home game at Torero Stadium (vs. the Houston Dash, Wave won 3-1). This match will mark the “grand opening” of Snapdragon Stadium (as the Wave’s permanent home, that is, the first game was a football game between the San Diego State Aztecs vs. the Arizona Wildcats a few weeks ago) and they are advertising a sellout crowd of 32,000 (seats sold). That figure is important because it represents an all-time attendance record for an NWSL game. So, the crowd is going to be loud and proud, especially against their upcoast rivals.

Stats Matter

With three to four games left in the season (depending), it would be remiss of me not to mention the playoffs. The Wave have very nearly punched their playoff ticket in their inaugural season, and have a chance to regain the top spot with a win (also assuming first and second place Kansas City Current and Portland Thorns FC tie on Sunday). Meanwhile, Angel City FC are teetering the playoff line and it would be a great story if they made it in in year one. With four points separating the top six teams, i.e. playoff spots, these last few games really matter.

If you’re curious about stats though, these teams’ stats are fairly comparable. As a team, San Diego has scored 29 goals on the season to Angel City’s 20. In the ‘goals against’ category, San Diego has conceded 19 goals to Angel City’s 20. Now, there is a wider margin of disparity between their goal differentials: San Diego is at 10 while Angel City is sitting at 0. And most fans are aware of Alex Morgan’s scoring prowess by now, but did you know that the Wave has had ten different scorers overall? Angel City is certainly not a one-striker team, and have had eight different scorers all season.

Despite having players that lead or feature on league-leading lists in various categories (for some examples, see goals, assists, saves, etc.) I think both teams will have plenty of physical and emotional gas in the tank for this game. Individual statistics matter very little when in-state supremacy is on the line.

Final Thoughts: Stats Don’t Matter

After attending the first electric edition of this expansion derby, I immediately marked my calendar and made travel plans for the rematch. All stats and playoff implications aside, I expect this to be an entertaining match in a supercharged SoCal environment. This rivalry doesn’t feel contentious, but healthily competitive, and for that I am glad they joined the league this year. The existence of these teams and the energy they and their fans bring, feels like a win for all involved.