Angel City FC has officially punched its ticket to the National Women’s Soccer League postseason, securing just the second playoff berth in the club’s history following results from around the league on Friday night. The milestone was clinched when Marie Müller scored in the 60th minute in Portland, giving the Thorns a victory over the North Carolina Courage that locked in Los Angeles for the postseason.
The campaign has demanded a grueling climb for Angel City, which endured more lows than highs early in the year and ultimately parted ways with its original head coach. Under interim leadership, the club engineered a formidable run of form to bridge the gap, mirroring a nearly identical structural arc to their lone previous playoff appearance in franchise history.
“Clinching playoffs is a strong indicator of the progress the team has made throughout this season,” said ACFC Sporting Director Mark Parsons in a statement. “We are very proud of the players and all of our staff for reaching this milestone. We are in a good run of form at a great time, and this team is hungry for more. We can’t wait to keep this going for our fans and for the city of LA.”
Currently sitting in seventh place in the league standings, Angel City enters the final stretch of the regular season with an opportunity to leap into the top four. Securing a top-four finish would guarantee the club at least one home playoff match, a vital objective as the team looks to surpass its previous postseason exit, where they were eliminated in the opening round on the road.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the team under Mark Parsons’ leadership, but also this organization as a whole,” said ACFC CEO Amy Taylor. “Our community continues to come through for us, and we expect it will be a loud and rowdy one tomorrow night at BMO Stadium. This is the youngest club in the league and we are surprising people this year. Angel City has been the comeback kid in 2026 and the future is bright.”
With the heavy lifting of securing qualification complete, Angel City turns its attention to its final regular-season match at BMO Stadium against Bay FC. While Bay FC enters the matchup positioned 14th in the league table with playoff hopes long extinguished, the fixture carries significant rivalry undertones and marks the return of former Angel City midfielder Kennedy Fuller to Los Angeles following her trade earlier this season.
As the club transitions from the pressure of the playoff race into the final run-in, players and staff emphasize that the competitive mindset cultivated over weeks of must-win fixtures remains intact. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. PST at BMO Stadium, with a Fan Fest opening at 1:30 p.m. as part of a Fan Appreciation event presented by Cedars-Sinai. The match will be broadcast live on ION, with radio coverage available on iHeartRadio in English and KWKW La Primera 1330 AM in Spanish.
