Angel City 1 Racing 3 Post Match Thoughts
Courtesy USA Today Sports Images
If any of Angel City’s celebrity owners handed out orange slices after the match on Sunday night, I bet it left a bitter aftertaste for the ACFC players (Yes, I have been sitting on that insult for a while). The victory for Racing was surely sweet after a tough loss against Portland.
Prior to the match, we received the terrible news that Nadia Nadim suffered another ACL injury. It seems premature to talk about prognosis, so all I will say for now is “Get Well Soon, Dr. Nadim.”
In the early part of the match, I thought that Angel City looked quick and sharp in their passing. It's not that Racing was sluggish, but they were not as sharp as the home side. The thought that entered my head a little more than 35 minutes through the first half (just before Racing equalized) was that Angel City was a lot like their number 9 Savannah McCaskill, equally capable of greatness and prone to moments of insanity. Shortly after Racing equalized, one of those moments of insanity occurred when Nielsen committed one of the most clearly obvious penalties you will ever see and seemed briefly confused (or play-acted confusion) as to why she was penalized. Alex Chidiac stepped up moments later and converted the penalty (clearly aided by her recent appearance on the Vamos Morados podcast). Even though McCaskill scored (a goal she knew absolutely nothing about), she reminded Racing fans as to why she was a frustrating figure sometimes last year as she over dribbled more than once.
Racing was mostly clinical with their chances which is something that has been lacking most of the season. It's hard to pick the better goal between Davis and Ekic, so let's not. It's also hard to pick the better assist between Fox and Howell, but I will give the nod to Howell as she won possession just prior to playing Davis in on goal.
Racing had a few nervy moments trying to defend a one-goal lead and looked really under pressure at the start of the second half. After about 5 minutes of constant pressure, they were able to keep possession better in the next 5. I don't think they were overly conservative in their second half setup, but it's obviously easier to keep a lead with the ball vs. without it. Racing had their first come-from-behind road victory ever, which is a nice accomplishment too (last year they had one late in the season vs. Orlando at home., also 3-1).
For the season, Racing took 7 points from the 2 California expansion sides. That's not a bad return. Only the Reign and Orlando won more points. It kind of begs the question as to why the rest of the league didn't do better. I am putting it down to the overall lack of a few clearly dominant teams.
Before the next and final home match, the Racing players will attend the Soccer Ball. I imagine the event will be slightly more fun coming off of a victory.
