Utah Royals Match Recap: Angel City 5/2
- URFC Blog
- 5 days ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Match Overview
Utah Royals continued their winning streak with a nail-biter last Saturday. The Royals' first ever win against Angel City was hard-fought, and we can thank the incredible shot-stopping abilities of McGlynn and the rest of the Royals defensive prowess for maintaining a clean sheet in a rough and messy game.
This was the 4th win in a row for the Royals, a new record for the club. Last Saturday also marked Utah's longest road-win streak (3 games) and its longest clean sheet streak (also 3 games). At the end of the week, Utah currently stands in 3rd [5th] place. I'm not sure how many wins or weeks in the top it will take me to lower my guard, but fans can be happy that the first-half curse is finally in the rearview mirror.
It's also important to know that the standings are a little weird this year. With the introduction of multi-game weeks, some teams have played more games than others, requiring some math to get a better sense of relative team performance. Here is the points-per-match ranking of the top 8:
Team | Points per Match | Goal Differential (Tie Breaker) |
Portland Thorns | 2.375 | 8 |
Washington Spirit | 1.875 | 8 |
Utah Royals | 1.875 | 4 |
San Diego | 1.875 | 3 |
Gotham FC | 1.75 | 4 |
Houston Dash | 1.67 | 3 |
Seattle Reign | 1.57 | 0 |
Angel City | 1.5 | 4 |
Royal Review Vibe Check
Royals Keeping it Cool 😎 : The amazing Royals kept calm and collected despite many malicious fouls. While yes, we definitely fouled some ourselves, we didn't play into the aggression and chippiness seen on the Angel City side
Borges (yes, I'm calling her out directly): This was just a bad look. Borges has historically gotten pretty icky when she gets heated, and we saw that again last Saturday. Ary's behavior was just not good sportsmanship.
Hip-checked Mina in the box to try to get a penalty
Kneed Pierre-Louis in the back
Yelled at Mina to get up after fouling her.
The Starting XI
Only one change this week, with McGlynn coming back for her first start of 2026. With Justus' injury last week, it's impossible to tell if this was in response to a minutes reduction for Justus or if McGlynn has earned her way back into the starting lineup. We'll have to wait to see what the next few games bring to get a better sense on this one.
With Delzer back on the game-day roster, it's a complicated feeling seeing her not get the start. She's been playing incredibly well this year, but with Cronin back in her starting role, Delzer gets relegated to the bench. Delzer may end up being a super-sub for the offensive side with her ability to slot in at the right wing or attacking mid.
Substitutions
Minute | In | Out |
54' | Miyabi Moriya | Nuria Rabano |
74' | Cece Delzer | Paige Cronin |
74' | Dayana Pierre-Louis | Narumi Miura |
89' | Alexa Spaanstra | Kiana Palacios |
89' | Courtney Brown | Ana Tejada |
With a few changes from last week, the only consistent substitute pairing was Miyabi-Rabano. Without knowing where Milazzo might slot in once she's healthy (perhaps competing with Riehl for start again), it seems like Jimmy's got this one figured out. Last week, Nagai was subbed on for Narumi instead of Dayana, so it looks like the #2 spot there is still up for grabs.
Match Analysis
Overall Flow
Aside from some punctuated moments of strong possession and ball progression, the Royals were mostly playing to disrupt Angel City on Saturday. While technically, possession was 50-50, the first half was much more slanted toward Angel City, with Utah's only goal coming from a set piece (make that 6/10 Utah goals this season from set-piece opportunities). Despite that momentum spike late in the 2nd half, Utah only had one shot in the whole half from a free kick just outside the box. Angel City's xG this match was more than double Utah's, but our disruption throughout the pitch and set-piece strength kept us (not so comfortably) in the lead.
We had fewer shots, far fewer touches in the opposition's box, fewer accurate crosses, fewer throws, and fewer interceptions. Obviously, the Royals were not an offensive threat this match. So, how exactly did the Royals win this match? The Royals had 51 defensive clearances! That's more than we've seen in any Royals match so far this year (on either side of the pitch). We also had some good save, tackles, and more accurate passes. I mean, look at how contracted the Royals play was this game.
While our duel rate wasn't as good as it normally is, the Royals successfully disrupted Angel City's attack over and over again. No wonder they were getting frustrated! Unfortunately, the match replay isn't available and I can't find a good clip that shows the red card, but here is a clip of Ary Borges hip-checking Mina to try to draw a penalty. It's clear from this clip that Borges isn't even going for the ball, and I'm shocked this wasn't a yellow, though it was ultimately called a foul.
There was another close call this game where KDF was initially cited with a foul in the box, leading to the ref awarding a penalty to Angel City. Fortunately, VAR stepped in, and the ref overturned her original call. Not only was contact outside the box, Chilufya tried to bowl through Kate, not the other way around.
Goal
Kate Del Fava expertly placed a pass to Cronin from a free kick just over the line into Angel City's half, enabling Cronin to break the defensive line and get around the ball to make a perfect cross to Lacasse on the far post. This shot from Lacasse had one of the highest PSxG this week. PSxG is a measure that considers the Post-Shot quality, adding in considerations of placement and speed (as opposed to xG, which just considers the shot location).
Cloe Lacasse (32')
Player Highlights
Ana Tejada (FOTMOB Rating 7.5)
For the second week in a row, Tejada was one of the best players on the pitch! She had one of the highest number of touches and % accurate passes this match, making her presence known.
Kate Del Fava (FOTMOB Rating: 8.0)
KDF, our iron woman, was an absolute menace for Angel City on Saturday. With the most defensive contributions across the pitch, Kate shut them down left and right. She had 4/4 successful ground duels and 3/4 successful aerial duels, sowing chaos in Angel City's attack. Also, Emma Hayes, the US Women National Team's coach, was in attendance at the last two Royals games.... 👀.... Look, I know it's a long shot, but I would be so happy to see KDF get a national team call up!
Mandy McGlynn (FOTMOB Rating: 8.5)
McGlynn deservedly earned Player of the Match this week with some absolutely incredible saves. She had one of the best saves this week in terms of PSxG faced. Admittedly, this shot came directly from a poorly placed pass from McGlynn out of the back, but that doesn't detract from how good of a save it was! She's also up for Save of the Week for a different save! It feels amazing to see McGlynn back to peak performance immediately after her injury.
Homework for Wednesday
Passing and Cohesion
The Royals really struggled with their passing this week, and it was truthfully frustrating to watch. We shouldn't shrink into a defensive position, or be forced into one, with a 1-0 lead. It was a scrappy game on both sides, and both teams struggled to complete passes or string together a cohesive attack. Still, Utah found itself in a reactive position, and we're lucky we won this one.
Don't Forget the Offense!
Didn't someone smart once say, "The best defense is a good offense?" Yeah, I think that's the right phrase. You can't lose games if you're scoring goals (right?). Okay, I definitely don't think we should forget the defense to score, but the team does need to find more balance in their approach. They had an incredible defensive game, but it's time to bring together everything we've learned and put it into practice in each game week-to-week. I mean only one shot in the entire second half?! We can do better than that.
Next Match
The Royals take on the Houston Dash at home this Wednesday, May 6th at 8:00 PM.
Be sure to join The Throne's tailgate in the 90th south parking lot starting at 6:30 PM!
What to Expect
Houston Dash Analytical Overview
Houston came into 2026 as a legitimate surprise package. Much like the Royals, with a record nine points in their first four games, people are paying attention. Notably, the Dash are coming off a 0-0 tie against Seattle, a team we beat 3-0 just over a week ago.
The engine behind Houston's hot start is forward Kiki Van Zanten, who scored four goals in her first two home matches and was named NWSL Player of the Week after a brace in a 4-3 win over Louisville. She's Houston's biggest attacking threat and the player the Royals will need to keep their eyes on. Beyond Van Zanten, fullback Avery Patterson is an elite two-way force. She's dangerous on the dribble and has improved dramatically on the defensive end, making her one of the trickiest matchups in the league on the flank. That said, Houston's form has cooled considerably since with just two wins in their last five matches, conceding six goals in that stretch.
What to Watch For
Houston's attack is direct and transition-heavy, which is the opposite of what the Royals have been defending lately. Against Angel City and Seattle, Utah was containing teams that try to play slowly and technically. Houston likes to go fast with Van Zanten pushing the tempo and others stretching the defense. Rookie Kat Rader runs at defenders and looks to turn transitions into big chances. But Houston has trouble finishing if they can't get inside the box, so the Royal's defense will need to be hard at work stopping transition play and preventing quick moves into open space behind the back line.
Will We Win?
Five wins in a row would be ridiculous. But this Royals team is doing ridiculous things right now, and Houston's form is shaky. I'm cautiously optimistic. 👑
Excellent recap, and preview! Thank you!