The new-look Angel City Football Club returned to the field July 3 with a healthy Sveindís Jónsdóttir and Ally Sentnor making her club debut.
The end result: a much-needed 2-0 win over the Orlando Pride.
“It was a good win against a very good team that has a lot of experience,” Angel City FC interim coach Leif Gunnar Smerud said.
Jónsdóttir was sidelined with a foot injury before the summer break. She eventually ended up missing four games.
“She’s really important for us,” Smerud said of Jónsdóttir. “She has the quality to run in behind to press well and I saw Sveindís giving everything she had to the team, as she always does.”
Sentnor was acquired in a trade with the Kansas City Current, June 17. She later signed a contract extension through 2029. In her debut, she went the full 90 minutes, putting in a big shift on both ends of the field.
“We got the win, we’ve been working hard the past weeks in training,” Sentnor said. “It wasn’t perfect, but I think you saw what we’re building toward.
“One of the biggest things is the girls being so welcoming and inclusive to me, coming in and really just letting me be myself and letting each other be ourselves and building those connections.”
Read more California’s first ADU condo sale offers another path to homeownership
Sentnor, 22, was the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft by the Utah Royals and the following season was traded for $600,000 intraleague transfer funds to the Kansas City Current. Her move to Angel City cost $850,000.
“It was good for her to get a game with the players,” Smerud said. “Until then, she had only been practicing. Time is the only thing where you can speed up the integration (with the team). We try to train as we play and we work constantly on finding strengths in players and putting those strengths together.”
Angel City takes its new positive outlook down South to face the San Diego Wave. The Wave (9-4-1, 28 points) currently sit in first place in the NWSL. In the first meeting, May 9, San Diego edged Angel City 2-1.
San Diego has scored 21 goals, tied for second most in the league, while allowing just 13.
“I think we can build off of Orlando,” Smerud said. “They have a good attacking strength and I think we did really well. The main thing is to be a team and to defend as a unit, work hard, be structured and I think we did that well. It was a good performance by the players and we’ve tried to build on that (this week).
“We pressed well and I want to see that. For me, the defensive work was strong, I don’t think Orlando created much. (This week), I’m aware we’re facing a very good attacking team (San Diego) and I look forward to that challenge.”
Read more Notable transfers for Orange County football, July 10
ANGEL CITY FC vs. SAN DIEGO WAVE FC
When: Saturday, 5:45 p.m.
Where: Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego
How to watch: ION