Angel City Football Club’s first season has included community work, all with a focus on growing women’s soccer.
Monday is another opportunity.
Angel City will host the Mexican national team in the first Copa Angelina (6 p.m. at Banc of California Stadium), highlighting the “rich Mexican culture in Los Angeles through entertainment, community outreach and an annual competition on the pitch.”
“We look forward to growing Copa Angelina year after year,” Angel City president Julie Uhrman said. “We hope to set an example of what is possible when two organizations come together, celebrating our commonalities and differences, as we gather our communities to enjoy the beautiful game.”
Earlier this season, Angel City played Mexican club Tigres in a friendly, winning 1-0. In their partnership, the teams will play in Mexico next year.
“This is an investment in the game to help grow it,” Angel City coach Freya Coombe said. “This is a celebration of the relationship between club and country in our community.
“I think Copa Angelina is another great example where Angel City is doing things differently. I think this is a great opportunity for us to embrace our community and for us again to be leading and doing things outside of the norm, but also help build these relationships.”
The event begins at 2 p.m. with a fan zone, featuring musical acts and food.
“There is also a lot of work being done off the field to support this initiative,” Coombe said. “I am really proud to be a part of it and love to see how we are helping move the game forward on the global stage.”
The game is a break from NWSL play for Angel City. The club is in seventh place, one point out of sixth place. The top six teams will qualify for the playoffs. Angel City has six games remaining, including five in September.
Angel City’s regular league schedule will resume Sept. 11.
Things haven’t been smooth for the Mexican national team. First, the team failed to qualify for the 2023 Women’s World Cup and 2024 Olympics after finishing last at the CONCACAF W Championship. Following that tournament, coach Monica Vergara was fired.
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Also, to kick off this international window, Mexico suffered a 1-0 loss to New Zealand Friday at Dignity Health Sports Park.
International duty
Angel City will be without Ali Riley (New Zealand), Allyson Swaby (Jamaica), Claire Emslie (Scotland) and Almuth Schult (Germany) because they have national team duty.