Angel City FC’s Wednesday night matchup marked a unique opportunity for the club and it’s fans, as ACFC hosted their first ever international friendly against Tigres UANL Femenil. The match placed between two regular season games allotted the chance for the stadium to witness ACFC’s player depth.
Speaking to coach Freya Coombe ahead of game day, “I think this game against Tigres gives us an opportunity for squad rotation, particularly coming off our game against Orlando and traveling; having little time to prepare. So I think we will see a lot of squad rotation which is a great opportunity for a number of players within our squad and also gives us an opportunity to experiment with different ideas and different identities when playing with an opposition that is not from the league.” Indeed ACFC’s starting 11 played host to many players yet afforded the moment to showcase their skill set.
Midfielder Stefany Ferrer Van Ginkel, a secret weapon for Angel City has experienced playing for both teams. Ferrer Van Ginkel was drafted to ACFC from Tigres, having been Tigres first ever international draft pick in 2021. The team, a unit of Liga MX, was founded in 2017 and has been known to produce some of the most well known Mexican national team members; including captain Lilliana Mercado.
Ferrer Van Ginkel assisted in some of the matches most prominent turn overs and Angel City’s first major goal scoring opportunity against Tigres goalkeep Cecilia Santiago; rocketing the ball to the left of the box where midfielder Hope Breslin was waiting. The header off of Breslin was later declared offsides. Leaving the score 0-0 going into the half. While the first half saw both teams trading possession and shots on target, Tigres entered the second showcasing their strong attacking line. Coombe states, “Fishel provides a nice threat in front of goal along with Mayor and Kanú on that front line and a big thing for us is playing how we normally defend.” In what was surely an attempt to save players from tiring out ahead of Sunday’s regular season game against the Chicago Red Stars, as well as thwart Tigres continued attack, ACFC substituted almost their entire lineup. This helped edge the team’s advantage as Savannah McCaskill charged Santiago and flipped the ball over the goalkeeper’s sliding leg to score the match’s first and only goal in the 79th.
While the game ended in favor of ACFC 1-0, ultimately the friendly between Angel City FC and Tigres UANL Femenil served as a showcase, enhancing women’s football in a city steeped in Latian culture. Ferrer Van Ginkel, “After the games I would talk to fans and they would tell me they can’t wait to watch the Tigres game. Most of them are ex Tigres fans that became Angel City fans. I think it’s going to be a good experience not only for the fans but also for us and we are going to grow.”
Angel City FC will host Chicago Red Stars at Banc of California Stadium Sunday August 14th. Tigres UANL Femenil seek to once again defeat Mazatlán FC Monday August 15th at Estadio de Mazatlán.
Written by Haley Becerra
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