After a month and half of preseason training camp, last Saturday’s NWSL Challenge Cup opener was more than special for Angel City FC.
Club officials were able to get a glimpse at what could be in store once the regular season begins.
An announced crowd of 6,307 turned out to Titan Stadium on the campus of Cal State Fullerton, although as the game and evening progressed, the 10,000-seat stadium appeared near capacity.
ACFC will play its regular-season home games at Banc of California Stadium. The club has said that as of this week 15,000 season tickets have been sold.
“We’ve got a huge support system to come and cheer us on at the games,” ACFC coach Freya Coombe said. “This has been months since the idea of ACFC came to mind and now it’s in fruition, which has been an amazing moment to get the first ball kicked in the first official competition.”
The regular season is still a month away, so preparation will continue with Saturday’s second game of the Challenge Cup against OL Reign (1 p.m., Paramount +).
All four teams in the Western Division (ACFC, Portland, OL Reign and San Diego Wave FC) enter the second match tied at one point after the first of six Challenge Cup games.
ACFC and San Diego played to a 1-1 draw last Saturday.
“There were some great things and there were some things to build off of and to improve on coming out of this match,” ACFC defender Vanessa Gilles said. “Going forward, that’s what we’re going to address. We were exposed in ways that we haven’t been before, and that’s definitely something to look forward to.
“It’s a first for us all being on this team, and we are all still getting to know each other, but the beauty of it is that we have amazing leaders here. Not just a single captain, but plenty of leaders on the field and on the bench as well to help with that shift. Whether it be from the goalkeeper, midfielders, backline, or forwards, and I think that’s really helped us and been the key for us.”
One thing to watch this week will be the lineup rotation. Coombe made only one substitution last week, bringing on Lily Nabet in the 89th minute.
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Angel City FC opens NWSL Challenge Cup with draw against San Diego Wave
After Saturday’s game, ACFC will be on the road for three consecutive Cup games, starting Wednesday at Portland, followed by April 2 at San Diego and April 17 at OL Reign. The final Challenge Cup game will be April 24 at Titan Stadium against Portland.
OL REIGN at ANGEL CITY FC
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Titan Stadium, CS Fullerton
TV: Paramount Plus