Angel City FC absolutely owned the Chicago Stars on the road this past Saturday, pulling off a clean 2-0 victory. This wasn’t any ordinary win, folks. This makes it **three consecutive victories** for the club, a serious statement run that has everyone buzzing after they took down the Stars at Martin Stadium in Evanston. Playing in front of a crowd of 6,678, the team showed incredible resilience. They pulled this off despite real concerns about air quality and smoke from those pesky Canadian wildfires, showing pure grit. Chicago was desperate for revenge, hoping to erase the memory of Angel City embarrassing them 4-0 at the season opener. But the Angel City crew came out aggressive, shut them down cold, and made sure that revenge wasn’t on the menu.
Niehues Ignites the Attack
The first half was a bit of a grind, with Chicago actually holding more possession at 54% to Angel City’s 45%, and they even managed two shots on target. We were all probably on the edge of our seats, right? But everything changed in the 56th minute. Niehues stepped up, cool as a cucumber, and absolutely buried a penalty kick. It was a perfect right-footed shot, drilled straight into the bottom left corner. Bang! That goal was the spark. Suddenly, Angel City’s attack was on fire, flipping the entire script. They dominated possession after that, holding a commanding 62%-38%, and kept Chicago from getting anywhere near dangerous on any counterattacks. The stats don’t lie: Angel City created five shots on target in that second half compared to Chicago’s single, meager attempt. Talk about turning up the pressure!
Jónsdóttir Doubles the Trouble, Anderson Locks it Down
The second goal was a proper nail-biter. Jónsdóttir thought she had one in the 86th minute, but VAR, in its infinite wisdom, called it offside. Can you believe it? Prisca Chilufya’s toe, literally a toe, was over the line, erasing what would have been a fantastic assist. You could feel the collective groan. But these players don’t quit, not for a second. Less than 20 minutes later, Chilufya and Jónsdóttir linked up again, proving that persistence pays off big time. In the 90+8 minute, Jónsdóttir doubled the lead, smashing a right-footed shot from super close range right into the center of the goal, thanks to another clutch assist from Chilufya. What a way to seal a road victory! And let’s not forget our goalkeeper Angelina Anderson. She was an absolute brick wall, earning her **third clean sheet in a row**. This whole team is clicking right now, with this being their third straight win since returning from the summer break, and their third under interim head coach Leif Gunnar Smerud, who stepped in mid-June. Smerud himself isn’t getting ahead of himself, famously saying after his first match against Orlando Pride, “I’m not looking too far ahead. It’s an interim role, and I’m trying to, you know, set the direction for the game and how I want it to look. That’s my job now.”
With this kind of incredible momentum, Angel City is now sitting proudly above the playoff line, opening up the very real possibility of a deep playoff run. They’ve only made the playoffs once since being founded in 2020, back in 2023, so this is a massive step! The next challenge? They’re heading back to BMO Stadium to face Racing Louisville on July 26 at 6:00 PM (PST). Can they keep this incredible streak alive and make a serious statement for the rest of the season? You bet we’ll be watching every single kick!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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