In their first year as an NWSL expansion team, and despite finishing eighth in the standings, Angel City FC had one of the best defensive records in the division, bettered only by the top three.

It is something the new Los Angeles team prides themselves on, says head coach Freya Coombe. And it is no coincidence that they have achieved it with Coombe in charge.

Indeed, in the 2021 season, when she was at the helm of NJ/NY Gotham FC (formerly Sky Blue FC), they boasted the second-best defensive performance in the league.

 It is, Coombe admits, something that runs at the heart of her coaching practice.

“Looking at how we protect the goal is the number one principle that we have,” she tells Women’s Soccer Coaching.