Casey Phair gets the start, Nealy Martin slides to center back, and Angel City gets the win — now they take the whole thing to Houston tomorrow night. This is Angel City Daily, I'm Joey — and honestly, the Reddit thread calling this one "for the Phair-weather fans" did half our job for us today. I'm Cassidy. We've got Straus's lineup choices to unpack, a Houston Dash team that just pulled a 2-2 draw with San Diego on late goals, and a watch party at Common Space tomorrow — let's get into it. This one's from r/AngelCityFC:
Straus finally gave Casey Phair her shot to impress by inserting her into the starting 11. He rotated Nealy Martin to center back and she played the position like she was the second coming of Naomi Girma. Ang took absolute control of box when Lo got the ball at the spot. And how about those teenagers!
The r/AngelCityFC thread this morning is literally titled "This One's For the Phair-Weather Fans" — and the point under the pun is real. Straus started Casey Phair, moved Nealy Martin to center back, and the reaction wasn't just, "nice move." It was, "okay, that actually held up." Four straight losses, and Straus finally makes a real change — in the good way. Phair gets her shot, Martin drops to CB and apparently turns into Naomi Girma, and Fuller comes off the bench with fresh legs after 70 and "sparkles under the BMO lights." That's not random. That's a coach actually juggling pieces. The Martin-to-center-back move is the one I keep coming back to, because she's doing it while Hines is still working through a five-player injury list. Is that depth? Is that the back line being stretched way too thin? We'll find out Saturday. Either way, the KC win thread turns fast — Houston is next, and Phair's start has already widened the conversation. And Houston is not exactly a soft landing. The Dash put up 0.2 xG against San Diego last night and still scored twice — including a go-ahead goal in the 89th minute before San Diego answered in stoppage time. That's a team that keeps punching above its numbers. So yeah, the crowd at Common Space tomorrow should show up awake. Here's Angel City Football Club at Angel City Football Club:
One last May Madness game! Join us on Saturday, May 23rd, at Common Space as we take on the Houston Dash! Bring your whole family, including your furry friends, to cheer on our team one last time before the international break.
Before the international break hits, there's one more chance to watch together — Common Space Brewery in Hawthorne, Saturday at 4:45 for Houston. And Joey, this is not a soft little sendoff game. Right. Houston just dragged a 2-2 draw out of San Diego last night with a late comeback. If anybody rolls into Common Space thinking this is a victory lap, they need a scouting report, not a raffle ticket. The watch party setup is great — dogs welcome, giveaways, the whole thing — but the soccer question is whether Straus can keep the Martin-at-center-back experiment together for a second straight road match. That's the one. Bring the dog, enter the halftime prize, do the whole community thing — just know you're watching a team that shuffled its back line during a losing streak against a side that never really goes away late. Here's Houston Dynamo FC:
HOUSTON (May 20, 2026) – The Houston Dash pushed league-leading San Diego Wave FC to the limit in a dramatic 2-2 draw at Shell Energy Stadium this evening, scoring twice in the final stages of the match to secure a share of the points.
Before we get into the watch party tomorrow, here's the scouting note on Houston: they came back twice in the final twenty minutes against league-leading San Diego — Kat Rader put them ahead in the 89th, San Diego leveled — and Houston still walked away with a point. That is not a team that folds late. The Reddit thread is calling tomorrow a party, and I love that energy — but Houston just pushed San Diego to a 2-2 draw on late goals. So whoever shows up at Common Space needs to understand Angel City is not getting a gift. Sophie Schmidt's 150th regular-season appearance also came in that match — third Canadian in league history to get there, behind Sinclair and Kailen Sheridan. That's real experience in the Houston midfield, and Angel City is going to feel it. This one's from National Women's Soccer League:
Such a tough place to come and play in the NWSL. Providence Park regularly bringing the fans in. They love to come and support this club. Not only has Portland won all three of their first home matches this season, they haven't conceded a goal. Angel City trying to change that, change their fortunes.
The Portland draw from May 18th — Providence Park, six straight home wins across all competitions for the Thorns, and Angel City went in there and came out with a point. That's not nothing. 277 likes on that highlights video tells you everything about how the NWSL packages a road draw, but honestly? Going into that place and not losing is a real result. The Thorns hadn't dropped a home game all season. And now we know that was the game right before Straus started Phair and moved Martin to center back, so whatever he saw at Providence Park, he came home and changed the lineup. The draw didn't just bank a point — it triggered a rotation. Got thoughts on today's episode, a story idea, or a correction we should know about? Send us a note at angelcitydailyfancast at lantern podcasts dot com. We'd love to hear from you.
You'll find links to everything we covered today in the show notes, so if a story caught your ear, you can dig in a little deeper there.
That's Angel City Daily Podcast for this Friday. Thanks for listening, and have a great weekend. This is a Lantern Podcast.