San Diego Wave faces Angel City as part of NWSL rivalry weekend

• Games involving Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever vs. her college rival Angel Reese and the Chicago Sky have set viewership and attendance records since the pair became professionals last season.

Case in point: In April 2024, the NWSL's oldest rivalry — Portland Thorns FC vs. Seattle Reign FC — averaged 200,000 more viewers compared with the two CBS games in which the teams played other opponents.

State of play: The Wave face Angel City FC at Snapdragon Stadium at 7pm Saturday in one of the weekend's three featured rivalry matches.

• Both teams debuted in 2022, with the Wave defeating Angel City on the way to setting an NWSL attendance record in the first soccer game at Snapdragon.
• The matchup slots right alongside the Padres-Dodgers and SDFC-LA Galaxy in San Diego's ongoing "Beat LA" quest.

The league's other rivalry-weekend matches:

• Washington Spirit vs. Gotham FC: 9am Saturday on ESPN
• Portland Thorns FC vs. Seattle Reign FC: 1pm Sunday on CBS

What they're saying: "Rivalries just add an element to [matches] that's personal, and that's what makes it so much fun," NWSL VP of marketing Michelle Haines tells Axios.