Full name | Angel City Football Club | ||
---|---|---|---|
Founded | July 21, 2020 | ||
Stadium | BMO Stadium Los Angeles, California | ||
Capacity | 22,000 | ||
President | Julie Uhrman | ||
Head coach | Eleri Earnshaw (interim) | ||
League | National Women's Soccer League | ||
2024 | 12th of 14 Playoffs: DNQ | ||
Website | https://angelcity.com/ | ||
Angel City Football Club is an American professional women's soccer team based in Los Angeles, California, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The formation of the team was announced on July 21, 2020; it began play in the 2022 season. The team plays its home games at BMO Stadium, which it shares with Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer (MLS).
Angel City FC is the Los Angeles area's first women's professional soccer team since the Los Angeles Sol of Women's Professional Soccer folded in 2010. [1] The team has many high-profile owners, including Natalie Portman, America Ferrera, Mia Hamm, Sophia Bush, Abby Wambach, and Eva Longoria. [2]
On July 21, 2020, the NWSL announced that Los Angeles would be awarded an expansion franchise for the 2022 season. [3] The team was announced with a majority female ownership group led by actress Natalie Portman, venture capitalist Kara Nortman, entrepreneur Julie Uhrman, and venture capitalist Alexis Ohanian. [3] Ohanian also represents the club on the league's board of governors. [4] Other founding members of the team included professional tennis player Serena Williams, actors Uzo Aduba, Jessica Chastain, America Ferrera, Jennifer Garner, and Eva Longoria, late night talk show host and YouTuber Lilly Singh, YouTuber Casey Neistat, Broadway producer Jenna Segal, and former members of the United States national team including Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Rachel Van Hollebeke, Shannon Boxx, Amanda Cromwell, Lorrie Fair, Ronnie Fair, Joy Fawcett, Angela Hucles, Shannon MacMillan, Tisha Venturini, Saskia Webber, Lauren Holiday, and Abby Wambach. [3] [1] [5] [6]
It was also announced during the team's launch that they would be announcing their official name before the end of the year but were going to use 'Angel City' as a tentative nickname. [3] The team was also in discussions with various groups for a stadium agreement, including the LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer. [3]
In the time since the club's name was confirmed as Angel City FC on October 21, 2020, additional members of the ownership group were announced, among them tennis great Billie Jean King, former tennis player and current tennis administrator Ilana Kloss, WNBA star Candace Parker, NHL star P. K. Subban, actress and activist Sophia Bush, Latin pop star Becky G, actor and TV host James Corden, former U.S. men's international soccer star Cobi Jones, NFL offensive lineman Ryan Kalil, and actor Uzo Aduba. [7] [8]
Angel City FC hosted Mexican club Tigres UANL Femenil in the club's first-ever International Friendly match in August 2022, which Angel City FC won 1-0. [9] The first edition of the Copa Angelina on September 5, 2022 saw Angel City FC fall 2-0 to the Mexico women's national team off a goal by Scarlett Camberos and an own goal. [10]
A three-part documentary chronicling the team's first season entitled Angel City was released in the May of 2023 on HBO. [11]
Angel City FC qualified for their first-ever playoff berth in 2023, losing to OL Reign on October 20, 2023. [12]
Ahead of the 2024 season, it was reported that the four primary owners of the club had voted to have investment firm Moelis & Co., seek a new owner and investor that would assume control of Angel City’s board for a reported valuation of $180 million. [13]
In July 2024, it was reported that the CEO of the Walt Disney Company, Bob Iger, and his wife, Willow Bay, were close to purchasing Angel City FC's franchise, with the intention of becoming the team’s majority shareholder for upwards of $250 million. [14] The deal was officially announced by the club on July 17, 2024, with Iger and Bay investing $50 million into the club to become the majority shareholders, the $250 million valuation made Angel City the most valuable women's sport team in the world. [15] Angel City's board will continue to include Natalie Portman, Julie Uhrman, Alexis Ohanian and Gillian Berry. [16]
Angel City FC's official colors are "asphalt" and "armor" with "sol rosa" as an accent color, a pink-tinted hue unique to the club. [17]
On June 30, 2021, the club revealed its crest featuring an angel with wings inspired by the Southern California red-tailed hawk and shaped to mimic the area's palm trees, with the top of the crest sloping at a 22-degree angle to represent their 2022 entry into the league. The crest was designed by Amedea Tassinari. [18]
The club collaborated with supporters in the design of the colors, crest, and kit to ensure the club represented Los Angeles. [19]
In October 2021, Angel City pre-emptively retired shirt number 22 to recognize its founding year and the number of players on the pitch during matches. The team sells shirts bearing the number 22 and donates 10 percent of revenue through a charitable program managed by the California Community Foundation. [20]
On November 17, 2021, the club unveiled a black primary kit made of recycled materials called 'Dawn'. The kit's design features hints of sol rosa, an art deco pattern, and the team's motto "Volemos" above player names. [21] Angel's City's first away kit, called 'Daylight' which was only used in their 2022 inaugural season, was unveiled in April 2022 ahead of their match against rivals San Diego Wave FC. The primarily white kit, with black and sol rosa palm details inspired by the palm trees of Los Angeles, was created by art director and graphic designer Matthew Wolff. [22]
On March 16, 2023, Angel City released a new secondary kit featuring a print of the Los Angeles County coastline called 'Represent'. [23]
Two new kits were unveiled on February 27, 2024 as part of a league-wide refresh. The black primary jersey, named 'Moonlight' places the wing from Angel City’s crest in a gritty asphalt-like texture over a black background, and an all sol rosa and pink secondary jersey named 'Sol'. [24]
2022 away | 2022–2023 home | 2023 away |
The club's eight-figure deal with DoorDash as the inaugural primary kit sponsor is the largest in the NWSL. [25] Angel City also sold $6 million in merchandise in 2022 to lead the league. The club's revenue accounted for 38.75% of the NWSL's total revenue on the year. [26] In 2023, Angel City's reported revenue was $31 million, nearly double the second-highest team. [13]
Period | Kit manufacturer | Front sponsor | Back sponsor | Sleeve sponsor | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022– | Nike | DoorDash | Sprouts Farmers Market | Birdies | [27] |
In November 2020, it was announced the team would play its home matches at BMO Stadium in Exposition Park near Downtown Los Angeles. [28] [29] BMO Stadium, formerly named Banc of California Stadium until 2023, is also home to Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer. [29] [30]
No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
---|---|---|---|
1 | GK | Hannah Stambaugh | Japan |
2 | FW | Sydney Leroux | United States |
4 | MF | Katie Zelem | England |
5 | DF | Ali Riley (captain) | New Zealand |
6 | DF | Megan Reid | Canada |
7 | MF | Rocky Rodríguez | Costa Rica |
9 | FW | Casey Phair | South Korea |
10 | FW | Claire Emslie | Scotland |
11 | DF | Sarah Gorden | United States |
16 | DF | M.A. Vignola | United States |
17 | MF | Kennedy Fuller | United States |
18 | FW | Jun Endo | Japan |
19 | GK | Angelina Anderson | United States |
20 | DF | Gisele Thompson | United States |
21 | FW | Alyssa Thompson | United States |
23 | FW | Christen Press | United States |
24 | FW | Messiah Bright | United States |
28 | MF | Lily Nabet | United States |
44 | DF | Elizabeth Eddy | United States |
99 | MF | Madison Hammond | United States |
No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
---|---|---|---|
4 | DF | Vanessa Gilles (at Lyon until June 30, 2025 [32] ) | Canada |
Executive | |
---|---|
President | Julie Uhrman |
General Manager (interim) | Matt Wade |
Coaching | |
Head Coach (interim) | Eleri Earnshaw |
Head of Goalkeeping | Omar Zeenni |
Technical Assistant Coach | Mykell Bates |
Performance Analyst | Oliver Blitz |
Technical Staff | |
Technical Director | Mark Wilson |
Senior Director of Soccer Operations | Marisa Leconte |
Director of Player Care | Chelsea Rodriguez |
Soccer Operations Coordinator | Alrick Drummond |
Head Equipment Manager | Brock Chartier |
Director of Medical and Performance | Sarah Smith |
Head of Sports Science | Dan Jones |
Physical Performance Coach | Michael Roman |
Head Athletic Trainer | Manny De Alba |
Director of Rehabilitation | Sarah Neal |
Assistant Athletic Trainer | April Seymon |
Physical Therapist | Joscelyn Shumate Bourne |
Season | League | Regular season | Playoffs | Challenge Cup | Summer Cup | Avg. attendance | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Pos | ||||||
2022 | NWSL | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 23 | 27 | 29 | 8th | did not qualify | Group Stage | — | 19,105 (highest) [36] |
2023 | NWSL | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 5th | Quarterfinals (first round) | Group Stage | — | 19,756 (second-highest) [36] |
2024 | NWSL | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 29 | 42 | 24 [a] | 12th | did not qualify | did not qualify | Semifinals | 19,313 (second-highest) |
Only competitive matches are counted. Includes NWSL regular season, playoffs, NWSL Challenge Cup, and NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup matches.
Name | Nationality | From | To | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Freya Coombe | England | March 19, 2022 | June 15, 2023 [38] | 36 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 39 | 53 | 27.78 |
Becki Tweed | England | June 15, 2023 [38] | December 9, 2024 [39] | 47 | 17 | 13 | 17 | 56 | 59 | 36.17 |
Player | Goals scored | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Nat. | Pos. | Angel City career | NWSL | Playoffs | Cup | Other | Total |
Claire Emslie | SCO | FW | 2022–present | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 17 |
Savannah McCaskill | USA | MF | 2022–2023 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 |
Alyssa Thompson | USA | FW | 2023–present | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 |
Sydney Leroux | USA | FW | 2022–present | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 |
Player | Appearances | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Nat. | Pos. | Angel City career | NWSL | Playoffs | Cup | Other | Total |
Jasmyne Spencer | USA | DF | 2022–2024 | 57 | 1 | 16 | 2 | 76 |
DiDi Haračić | BIH | GK | 2022–2024 | 62 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 73 |
Madison Hammond | USA | MF | 2022–present | 51 | 1 | 16 | 3 | 71 |
Megan Reid | USA | DF | 2022–present | 54 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 68 |
Claire Emslie | SCO | FW | 2022–present | 55 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 66 |
Sarah Gorden | USA | DF | 2022–present | 46 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 58 |
Clarisse Le Bihan | FRA | MF | 2022–2024 | 47 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 55 |
Savannah McCaskill | USA | MF | 2022–2023 | 42 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 55 |
Alyssa Thompson | USA | FW | 2023–present | 46 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 55 |
Ali Riley | NZL | DF | 2022–present | 44 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 54 |
Dani Weatherholt | USA | MF | 2022–2023 | 41 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 54 |
Best XI First Team
Best XI Second Team
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