The most significant game of Angelina Anderson’s season was also her worst.
It was Angel City’s fifth match of the season and Anderson, the team’s goalkeeper, made a crucial error in stoppage time that led to a winning goal. And while that was significant, what really made the game stand out is what happened next.
When she carried the weight of the loss home with her, her boyfriend, Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Thomas Booker, staged an intervention. Every time she make a mistake, Booker told Anderson, she would beat herself up. Yet when she played well, she simply considered that part of her job.
“We came to this conclusion that is not sustainable,” Anderson said. “I’m putting way too much pressure on myself so I had to figure out a way to care, not less, but care optimally. As athletes, we’re always like ‘what more can I do?’ when really I think it’s ‘what’s optimal for you?’
“That kind of gave me more freedom on the pitch.”
Playing with that freedom, Anderson gave up just one goal per game during the rest of the season, pitching a league-best nine shutouts since May 17 and leading Angel City (15-8-7) to its second playoff appearance. Anderson and Angel City will meet Kansas City (16-9-5) on Saturday morning at CPKC Stadium, where the Current is unbeaten in its past 32 games.
Countering Kansas City’s home-field advantage is Angel City’s 10-game unbeaten streak, longest in the league, and its 8-3-4 road record, fourth-best in NWSL. Then there’s the edge in goal, where Anderson ranks among the top five in the league in wins (15), clean sheets (10) and goals-against average (1.07) while Lorena, Kansas City’s Brazilian keeper, has given up 1.29 goals a game and has just five shutouts.
But there’s more to Anderson’s recent career-best run of form than the advice of her Super Bowl-champion boyfriend. Angel City also underwent a number of coaching changes this summer, dropping manager Alexander Straus for Leif Gunnar Smerud in June, then replacing goalkeeper coach Kevin Moreno with Louis Hunt in July.
No one on the team flourished under the new leadership more than Anderson.
“She’s very focused. She knows her task. And I think the way we defend promotes her strengths and that builds confidence,” said Smerud, who stresses a high-pressure approach anchored by center backs Sarah Gorden and Emily Sams. “So she’s just growing.”
Anderson, 25, is a sturdy 6 feet tall and one of the biggest players in the NWSL, making her an imposing presence in goal. She can dominate in front of the net with her height and physicality, but she’s also nimble and is an excellent diver — which is why Hunt, who worked with Anderson in the U.S. youth national program, believes she still has plenty of room to continue that growth.
“Angie’s getting to the point where she’s just about to enter the early part of her peak stage,” Hunt said. “She’s had a couple of years where she’s played a decent amount of games for her age and now this year she’s really established herself as a consistent No. 1.”
Anderson, finishing her fourth NWSL season, is one of just three starters from Angel City’s first playoff game — a 1-0 loss in Seattle in 2023 — who is still wearing the team’s uniform. Angel City suffered through two dismal years after that playoff debut, losing nearly twice as often as it won and allowing 23 more goals than it scored before rebounding this season to set franchise records for wins (15), points (52), goals (54) and goal differential (a league-best +22).
Going through those struggles, Anderson said, allows her to appreciate the current success even more.
“One of our rookies came up to me and she was like, ‘All I’ve ever known here is winning and you guys having this identity and a way to play,’” Anderson said. “That was so refreshing because obviously for us who have been here for a while, there’s been some bumps in the road.”
Hunt credits Anderson’s maturity not just for her ability to get over those bumps in the road, but also for her desire to learn from her mistakes while celebrating her achievements.
“When I came in, she was very open to everything,” he said. “Like, ‘I know I can get better. I know there’s things that I can improve on.’ But also the psychology of things.
“Her approach to being mentally tough and resilient and come through tough moments that she’s had in the past, she’s worked really, really hard on that. I think that’s a big reason why she’s now showing such consistency in games as well as making big saves.”
Speaking of big saves, Anderson is particularly tough on penalty kicks, facing three this season without allowing a goal. That could come into play this weekend since a tie after extra time would take the game to a series of penalty kicks to decide a winner.
“I go into penalty kicks with a delusional amount of confidence,” Anderson said. “Like ‘there’s no way you’re going to score. It’s not possible. It’s 130% that I’m going to make the save.’ And I believe that in the moment.”
Anderson’s boyfriend would call it an optimal level of optimism.
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