Angel City FC forced to settle for a draw against Portland

Claire Emslie scores in the 76th minute to tie the game at 2-2, but the hosts believe they should have been awarded a penalty kick late in stoppage time.

Sep 24, 2024 - 17:00

Angel City FC forced to settle for a draw against Portland

Angel City FC forward Alyssa Thompson, left, celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the first half of their NWSL match against the Portland Thorns on Monday night at BMO Stadium. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)

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LOS ANGELES — Both Angel City Football Club and the Portland Thorns entered Monday night’s match in a fight for their playoff lives.

The difference, was the Thorns were above the playoff line, despite suffering four consecutive losses.

For Angel City, this two-game homestand will go a long way toward determining the club’s postseason fate.

At the sound of the final whistle, the teams were left to share the points in a 2-2 draw in front of a sellout crowd of 22,000 at BMO Stadium. The draw moves Angel City (6-11-4) up slightly to 22 points, still in 10th place in the 14-team NWSL, but three points behind Racing Louisville FC (6-8-7) for the eighth and final playoff spot with five matches left.

Angel City trailed 2-1 after Olivia Moultrie’s goal in the 64th minute. Fortunately for the hosts, they found an equalizer in the 76th minute when Claire Emslie took advantage of a spilled rebound by Portland goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold for the goal-line tap-in.

Late in stoppage time, Angel City thought it had a chance at a penalty kick, when Arnold and Messiah Bright collided. Arnold went up toward the ball, but in the process, trampled over Bright.

“I’ve seen it five times and my mind is blown,” Angel City coach Becki Tweed said. “I have no understanding, no explanation.”

The referee’s response to the pool reporter question was that “the ball was out of play,” adding that “according to Law 12, fouls and misconduct, direct and indirect and penalty kicks can only be awarded when the ball is in play.”

“I’m proud of the heart, fight and desire that we showed as a team. We created opportunities, put them under pressure, but it was unlucky to get rewarded for it. It was not the outcome we wanted, it could have gone either way.”

The Thorns (8-9-4, 28 points) opened the scoring in the second half on Morgan Weaver’s goal in the 49th minute. That goal wasn’t without some controversy. Behind the play, Alyssa Thompson was knocked to the ground, losing the ball. Tweed thought it was due to a head injury, which should have brought the ball back.

“The game should stop,” Tweed said. “She was hit in the head, but we have to be better behind the play, but there was a lot of emphasis on head injuries this season.”

Thompson’s goal was her fifth in the last five games. She hadn’t scored any before the Summer Cup break, but she has been on her game since the restart, eclipsing her 2023 season total (four).

The Thorns were hamstrung entering the game with star forward Sophia Smith (11 goals) sidelined by an ankle injury.

“We’re very aware of where we are in the table,” midfielder Madison Hammond said. “We know that coming back against any team is not easy and we know that the rest of the season is not going to be easy.”

Angel City faces a quick turnaround, getting ready to host the Washington Spirit on Friday night.