Angel City
- Alexander Straus’ European style of soccer, a possession-based, pressing game he learned at Bayern Munich, has brought structure to Angel City and more tactical discipline than they had before.
- But the 2025 campaign ended in a 7-6-13 record and 27 points for the Los Angeles-based club, which was only average but there were too many inconsistencies.
- Riley Tiernan led the team in goals last year and will be the main focus of the attack when Angel City kick off the new season on home turf.
- Miyabi Moriya is a great defender who can be a threat on set pieces, as she proved against Chicago in the last meeting between these two teams.
Chicago Red Stars
- Martin Sjögren takes over a Chicago team that finished near the bottom of the NWSL in 2025 and were plagued by instability and a lack of direction.
- The Red Stars struggled defensively in 2025, but veteran goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher can keep Chicago in games and her experience and leadership will be very important.
- Ludmila was Chicago’s leading goalscorer in 2025 with double-digit goals and the Brazilian is always the main focal point of the Chicago attack.
- Jameese Joseph will offer a creative spark and contribute with goals and assists, but Chicago are unlikely to outscore opponents this season.
Head-to-Head
Angel City and Chicago split their last five head-to-head meetings with Angel City winning twice, Chicago once and two draws.
Key Players
- Angel City:
- Riley Tiernan led the team in goals last year and will be the main focus of the attack when Angel City kick off the new season on home turf.
- Miyabi Moriya is a great defender who can be a threat on set pieces, as she proved against Chicago in the last meeting between these two teams.
- Chicago:
- The Red Stars struggled defensively in 2025, but veteran goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher can keep Chicago in games and her experience and leadership will be very important.
- Ludmila was Chicago’s leading goalscorer in 2025 with double-digit goals and the Brazilian is always the main focal point of the Chicago attack.
Betting Insights
- Chicago had 4.68 odds to win this game, which makes them big long shots in the market for this NWSL opener.
- This will be a stylistic matchup between an Angel City team that plays at a high tempo with their European-style pressing system and Chicago, who are more compact and more control-oriented.
Prediction
Angel City lost four of their final five competitive games of 2025, winning the other, so we think Chicago will take advantage of their inconsistency and edge this one.
