Vote: Angel City FC Breakout Player of 2022

Offseason is awards season here at Angel on Parade, let the voting begin for Angel City’s 2022 superlatives.

Angel City FC had an inaugural season to remember. If you’re itching to relive all of the top moments from the season, and I mean why wouldn’t you want that, you can check out our Angel City season review! For now though, as the team prepares for what is sure to be a very busy offseason, let us commence the annual Angels on Parade End-of-Season Awards, with our newest addition to the LA soccer scene, Angel City.

It is both easy, and incredibly hard, to narrow down choices for a team having just completed their first season in terms of this season’s breakout player. There are no previous campaigns to judge against, no positional past to compare to, or even seasons prior under the same play style just yet. It’s even harder to point to a select group as standouts for the season, when technically, every player in an ACFC was a standout to some degree. However, we have narrowed down to just a few who surprised even themselves as they not only took advantage of the opportunity that comes with playing for an expansion side, but slowly became what many feel could be core pieces moving forward.

Let us start with former Racing Louisville midfielder Savannah McCaskill. Brought over via trade ahead of the NWSL Draft, McCaskill wasn’t viewed as simply depth. Angel City sent over their sixth overall pick from that draft plus another $25,000 just to seal the deal for her services, so they always expected her to be a key member of the midfield, just how key she was, is the standout part. In 2021 McCaskill scored just once, with three assists in her 23 appearances with Racing Louisville. She did however hold a whopping 31 key passes as she pulled the strings for that attack on most occasions.

Fast forward to 2022 and Savannah not only started all 21 of her appearances, but was a major reason why ACFC didn’t hit rock bottom once the injuries started coming in. McCaskill finished the season with two assists, 41 key passes, over 1800 minutes logged and a career high seven goals scored. She went on such a run, she even started getting attention for her “signature” way of scoring. Already taking home some hardware, she was awarded with the Golden Boot as part of Angel City’s end of season ceremonies. Will she add even more accolades to her impressive debut season?

One player who was coming off pure hype from her incredible 2021 campaign, was goalkeeper DiDi Haračić. After a successful rebrand to social media sensations Gotham FC, the team’s then-backup goalkeeper began to build almost a cult-like following. In just eight appearances DiDi had two clean sheets, and was rapidly gaining traction as a possible number one. However, it was never going to be with Gotham, so it was no shock when she was moved and given the chance to be a starter for the expansion side.

In 2022, Haračić started 21 of 22 matches, nearly completing an Iron Woman season — she was held out of the team’s season finale — and in that time she amassed 4 clean sheets, secured 19 catches, completed 14 clearances, and even saved a penalty. More than that, she quickly became one of the most popular, and beloved, ACFC players throughout the season. While she did have her down moments, Haračić made a case for being the anchor to hold down the defense for years to come.

Last, but certainly not least, is a player that undoubtedly went unnoticed outside of Los Angeles for a majority of the season, despite being one of the biggest standouts, and one of the most important ones. Defender Megan Reid, not only did she arrive to her second expansion side this offseason — she originally trained with San Diego Wave for a spell before being cut from their camp prior to the season starting — but she was thrown right into the fire when she arrived. The injury to defender Sarah Gorden was a massive blow to Angel City. Before the season even began, the team had lost its centerpiece in defense for the season, and it was up to Reid, who had spent the year prior playing amateur soccer and working as an EMT while contemplating her future, to fill in those shoes. To say she did a job is the understatement of the century.

Reid started every match, and played every second of the season, earning the title of Iron Woman for Angel City this year. She racked up 137 clearances, 20 blocks, and had 11 interceptions. She won an impressive 65% of her duels, and had a 78% success rate on over 800 passes played this season. She even got involved in attack with one assist. It’s one thing for a player to step up and keep the ship from sinking, it’s entirely different when that player goes from hopeful replacement, to almost irreplaceable themselves. Perhaps the biggest question mark in 2023 will be what happens with Reid, as Gorden returns ahead of next season, but after the year she had its almost impossible to demote Reid to depth, right?

So, there you have it. Three incredible seasons, from three amazing players who look to be just getting started with Angel City. The choice is now yours as the polls are now open, and will remain open until Wednesday 6pm PT! Make sure you cast your vote for who you think should be the Standout Player of the Year for 2022.