Taylor Suarez ties it for Angel City against Kansas City Current

Angel City Football Club settled for a 1-1 draw against the Kansas City Current on Saturday evening at CPKC Stadium thanks to a lone goal by Taylor Suarez. 

The rookie-rookie connection between Carina Lageyre and Suarez put the visiting team in the lead during the 14th minute. Lageyre passed a through ball to Suarez, who sent a right-footed shot from the center of the box to the bottom left corner. 

“[Lageyre] is a great passer and has great vision, so I knew that if I could find myself in the right spot, she would [get] me the ball, and that’s exactly what she did,” Suarez said. “She played me a perfect through ball, and I knew I had to finish it right then and there.”

The goal marked Suarez’s first in her professional career. The 21-year-old signed a three-year contract with Angel City FC on January 8, 2026, leaving Florida State University after her sophomore year. 

Kansas City evened the match at the 26-minute mark when striker Haley Hopkins scored on an assist from Izzy Rodriguez. 

Although statistically Angel City was out-performed, both teams netted a goal in the first half; the second half remained scoreless in part because of ACFC’s keeper Angelina Anderson. She made six saves, pushing away a rising shot from Kansas City attacker Amelia White in the 33rd minute. In the 76th minute, Anderson dove to her left to deny midfielder Croix Bethune‘s shot and kept the Current from capitalizing on the follow-up attempt.

Angel City FC (7-7-2, 23 pts.) remains in playoff position, sitting eighth in the league’s standings, following their return from summer break. The club moved to 3-1-1 under interim coach Leif Gunnar Smerud.

“It was good to get that point, and on an away trip, it felt important and good for the mentality and the spirit of the group as well,” Smerud said, adding, “It’s a skill to play these away games against good teams, and this was a confirmation of the character of the group.”

“We fought all 97 minutes that we played,” said Saurez. “It was very important for us that we left our hearts out on the field, and I feel like that’s what we did today. It was also very important for us to come away with at least a point for this game. So I’m very proud of us.”

Angel City now heads to Seattle to face the Seattle Reign (7-2-7, 23 pts.) on August 9 at 6 PM PST.