Five goals allowed after the 76th minute — three in stoppage time. That’s not a slump, that’s a late-game leak, and now it’s got a number on it. This is Angel City Daily — halftime’s here, the first-half ledger is closed, and we’re looking straight at what the receipt actually says. Houston was the last line on that receipt — 2-1, winner in the 90th — and now Gisele Thompson, with four goal contributions, is heading out on international duty. So let’s talk roster math, the depth chart, and what Straus actually has when the league starts back up — that’s the part that matters. USA New News writes:
An old nemesis showed up in the late moments of Angel City Football Club’s trip to Houston last weekend. Holding onto a 1-1 draw against the Dash, Angel City allowed a 90th-minute goal and left with a disappointing 2-1 loss. Angel City has allowed only 12 goals this season, but three have come in stoppage time and five have come after the 76th minute.
We said Houston was the test. Angel City got to the 90th level and still coughed up the winner — 2-1 final. And that loss doesn’t even stand alone: three of the twelve goals they’ve allowed this season have come in stoppage time, five after the 76th minute. That’s almost half the goals conceded coming in the last fifteen minutes. Five goals after the 76th. Three in stoppage time. Nobody gets to call that bad luck anymore — that’s a closing problem with a number attached. Straus called it a setback, mostly because they couldn’t build off that Kansas City win. But the data was already pointing this way before Houston — this wasn’t new on Sunday. And now the group that has to fix it is getting smaller. Gisele Thompson’s gone for international duty, and those four goal contributions are gone with her. So the closing problem just ran straight into a depth problem. Phuoc Nguyen, writing in All For XI: The All For XI availability report for matchweek 10 is useful here because it puts a name on who was actually on the field Sunday against North Carolina. And that matters, because the international window is already starting to pull players out before Straus gets a real run with the full group again. And Gisele Thompson is already confirmed out for the June window — four goal contributions, part of that KC run Joey keeps bringing up — so now it’s a real departure, not just a vague note about international duty. Right. And once you stack the matchweek 10 availability against who’s leaving now, you get a pretty tight picture of what Straus is actually working with when the league resumes. It’s not a depth chart on paper anymore — it’s subtraction in real time. From OurSports Central:
LOS ANGELES - Angel City Football Club (ACFC) players have received international call-ups for the June international window, representing their respective national teams. Defender Gisele Thompson has received her ninth senior US Women's National Team call-up following her recent selection in April, when the United States posted a 2-1-0 record against Japan.
The May 29 international call-up release puts names to what was an abstract depth concern: Gisele Thompson, Evelyn Shores, and Taylor Suarez are all leaving for the June window. That’s three pieces of the defensive and attacking rotation gone at the same time. And Thompson specifically — nine senior USWNT caps, four goal contributions this season — that’s not depth, that’s a starter-level player walking out the door right when the squad has to figure out how to actually close a game. So that’s the roster math problem: five goals allowed after the 76th minute this season, three of them in stoppage time, and now the prep window for the second half of the year is running without one of the players who’s actually been producing. Straus doesn’t get to solve the late-game closing issue and rebuild around the departing players at the same time. That’s not a vibe problem — that’s a scheduling constraint with names on it. This one's from Angel City Football Club:
Come ready to play, learn, and connect with your community—register today and be part of the Angel City FC experience! Join Angel City FC and coaches from our ACFC Coach Network for a fun and inclusive soccer experience! Our community clinics are open to players of all skill levels and are designed to inspire confidence, teamwork, and a love for the game.
Quick note before we move on — Angel City ran a free community clinic at Gabrielino High School on Saturday, with coed players ages six through twelve, and two hours on the field with coaches from the ACFC Coach Network. That’s the kind of roots work that actually earns a fanbase in the SGV. Gabrielino’s in San Gabriel, not exactly right by the Banc, so showing up there means more than putting it on a billboard. If you like keeping up with LA sports every day, check out Dodgers Daily Podcast — daily LA Dodgers news, from Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts watch to recaps, rumors, injuries, and Blue Crew reactions. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.
You’ll find links to every story we covered today in the show notes, so if something grabbed your attention, take a minute to read a little deeper.
That’s Angel City Daily Podcast for this Monday. Thanks for listening. This is a Lantern Podcast.