LOS ANGELES — Kennedy Fuller is evolving.
No longer a rookie, the 18-year-old midfielder has ditched the long-held superstitions she carried into her first professional season.
The recognizable “warrior buns” that were always part of game day look? Gone — sometimes.
Eating the same meal on match day? Not anymore.
Listening to identical songs before fixtures? Definitely not.
Now, Fuller’s game day ritual often involves waking up and sipping a matcha latte — which she calls “very L.A.” — and reading a book.
A simple routine.
“Something I'm focusing on is not being so hyper-fixated on [superstitions] because things are going to change,” Fuller said on a call with reporters Thursday.
As Fuller adjusts her practices to suit her professional needs, she wants to develop on-field with a focus on creativity in the final third.
Following a rocky rookie season in which she only started 10 fixtures, she told The Sporting Tribune in the offseason that she did not showcase her on-field magic frequently enough last season.
“One of the biggest things for me this year was being dangerous and creative,” Fuller said.
Fuller and Mykell Bates, a technical assistant coach, worked tirelessly during the preseason on her ability to “TTG”— threat to the goal.
The duo concentrated on how she turned towards the goal, took touches and manipulated defenders to become a more dangerous attacking force.
Part of achieving that desire involves connecting with the front line, including 20-year-old forward Alyssa Thompson.
Fuller said she focused on building her connectivity with Thompson in Indio, California, where Angel City played two preseason friendlies at the Coachella Valley Invitational, earning a win and a draw.
Those efforts paid off quickly.
In the 54th minute of Angel City’s season-opening match against the San Diego Wave, Fuller controlled the ball around midfield and fired a curling pass to Thompson, who slipped a shot past Wave goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan.
The goal was Angel City’s only score in the 1-1 draw.
Fuller said she did not even look at Thompson’s positioning, trusting that she would be there — She was right.
“Being able just to trust that [Thompson] was there and put it in a place where she can be dangerous and do her thing, that's all I needed to do,” Fuller said. “And that's what ended up getting us the tie in the end.”
Thompson, who also plays for the USWNT, scored five goals in a five-game stretch last season. She could replicate such success with more of Fuller’s help in 2025.
“My relationship with Alyssa [Thompson] has been super important on the field,” Fuller said. “If I can play her in, and she can do her thing in the box, getting us some goals, that’s what’s needed on the team.”
Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Aug 24, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Angel City FC midfielder Alyssa Thompson (21) celebrates with midfielder Kennedy Fuller (17) after scoring a goal against the San Diego Wave FC during the first half at Snapdragon Stadium.
Meanwhile, Fuller is operating as a No. 10 among a newly christened midfield featuring additions veteran Alanna Kennedy and rookie Macey Hodge.
While the Southlake, Texas native shined in Angel City’s season opener — creating two chances, completing five passes into the final third and winning seven-of-11 duels — perhaps more chemistry could benefit the group.
After the Wave game, Hodge said the midfield is still working on its movement and spacing between lines.
Fuller said naturally, there would be growing pains, especially under the lights at BMO Stadium in front of almost 20,000 fans. She added the midfield is focused on condensing its line to make it more challenging for opponents to play through the middle of the field.
However, considering the lack of playing time together, Fuller feels they performed solidly.
Interim coach Sam Laity largely echoed their sentiments, mentioning the spacing between lines was the first issue his staff looked to correct.
“It had nothing to do with what San Diego did — it was more to do with the decisions that we made, when to press and when not to press, and we left ourselves exposed in certain areas,” Laity said.
To bond with her teammates, Fuller said she loves to juggle in groups as she is a “technical whiz.” She enjoys one activity when the team forms a pattern and attempts to keep the ball in the air before launching it into a trash can.
The drill serves multiple purposes, Fuller said. It helps players develop their communication skills, as hand signs and eye contact are key to thriving. The task also promotes problem-solving with the less adept ball controllers in the group.
“(The juggling activity) translates to the field and what we work on and do,” Fuller said.
Angel City next plays the Portland Thorns Friday. Their opponent — which finished sixth in 2024 — is one of three teams that lost their season opener following an offseason in which they lost a slew of players, some temporarily, to free agency, pregnancy and retirement.
The Thorns are known for their bustling atmosphere at Providence Park, averaging an NWSL-third 18,725 fans in 2024. But Laity doesn’t expect the environment to pose a problem.
“It’s actually probably a motivation to put in a better performance to silence the crowd,” Laity said. “That’s our job.”
Laity said he and his staff have more time to review film with individual players on the road as there is more downtime than at home.
Despite some errors, he thought Angel City managed the emotions of a home opener with nearly 20,000 fans in the stands well.
The team trotted out six players 23 years old or younger and fell behind a goal in the fifth minute.
Still, they secured a 1-1 draw thanks to Fuller’s assist on Thompson’s goal — a sign of resilience the team has already displayed multiple times in 2025.
At the CVI, Angel City mustered a 1-1 draw against the Seattle Reign after trailing in the first half. Similarly, they secured a 2-1 win against the Portland Thorns after falling behind in the 57th minute.
“We do not know how to lose games,” Laity said. “We have been a goal down on a number of occasions through preseason and in this game against (the Wave).
“While we would rather not do that, we have shown bounce-back ability and amazing resilience — that's a massive positive for us.”
To become more ruthless, Laity said Angel City needs to shift into its attacking shape quicker and not allow emotions to disrupt their decision-making.
Without the pressure of a season opener, the latter could be a quick fix, while the former could be more complex.
“The next step for development is, can we score first, and can we score again?” Laity said.
Fuller’s contribution could be significant to this development.
Laity praised her commitment and potential. He also said she had defensively added a “different edge” to her game this year.
Angel City finished tied for second to last in the NWSL in goals allowed with 42 scores against in 2024.
“To play in that area of the field, you've got to be dynamic, and you've got to do the work for the team on both sides of the board — Kennedy is doing that for the group and doing that very well,” Laity said.