On Sunday, visitors Angel City FC capitalized early at Red Bull Arena and went out with a 3-1 win against NJ/NY Gotham FC. Despite formation changes, outshooting the LA side, and momentum after a controversial no-goal call, Gotham failed to make a comeback.
The team adapted to playing in a 4-4-2 formation, different from their usual 4-2-3-1 or traditional 4-3-3 style. This change saw Taylor Smith to a right-back position, somewhere she has not played in recent time. A said “versatile” player, however, she was able to keep up with Gotham’s offensive transition by creating chances near ACFC’s box and generating spaces for the likes of Midge Purce and Ifeoma Onumonu. With that, center backs Mandy Freeman and Estelle Johnson kept a high line, and outside back Imani Dorsey saw fluidity in presence in Gotham’s attacking third.
The midfield experiment of McCall Zerboni, Kristie Mewis, and Ali Krieger also found space that helped improve connecting the offensive and defensive lines compared to previous games. Nahomi Kawasumi floated between lines when Gotham would struggle to connect or lock down the quick transition of Angel City and successfully contributed to the team’s momentum up top.
Super-sub Paige Monaghan proved to be dangerous right away as she would get Gotham’s lone goal in the 52nd minute after a great build-up to the ACFC box from a cross from Kawasumi and constant pressure to shoot. She would add to Gotham’s five shots on goal, making up roughly 5% of the team’s 22 shots, and earn her fourth goal of the regular season.
Additionally, Gotham generated the most set pieces of the match, including 12 corners and 6 free kicks. Possession was also in their favor with 463 passes (to 290 from ACFC) and 81% pass accuracy. Under Menzies, the NJ/NY side has already become smoother and more confident on the ball, something that was once unfamiliar to the squad a month ago.
Composure and the patience to connect and move forward as a unit saw more chances in the attacking third and occasional poor clearances by Angel City that would fall to the feet of Purce, Onumonu, and Kawasumi. Likewise, NJ/NY newcomer Victoria Pickett fit in right away on the midfield line, where her footwork, long balls, and uncanniness to draw fouls helped push Gotham forward and added dimension for the last thirty minutes of the game.
Unfortunately, improving performance was not enough to look past occasional sloppiness, predictability, and poor clearances, first getting a taste of that outcome after a great self-effort and shot from Angel City’s Savannah McCaskill in the 16th minute. Within the next fifteen minutes, ACFC would see goals from midfielder Cari Rocarro in the 25th minute and forward Claire Emslie in the 31st minute. Simone Charley was also an incredible outlet for the LA side, despite not getting on the board.
