Alex Morgan is one of many women’s soccer players to come from Southern California. (photo by Dante’y Buitureida)
Professional women’s soccer has finally come to Southern California.
Early Tuesday morning, it was announced that an investment group led by entrepreneur Julie Uhrman and venture capitalists venture capitalists Alexis Ohanian and Kara Nortman had teamed up along with other investors to bring an NWSL expansion team to Los Angeles. The team, for the moment called Angel City FC, aims to begin playing in 2022 and could partner with one of MLS’ two franchises, LAFC or the Galaxy, as an operating partner and with it, the chance to play in that team’s home stadium.
While Uhrman, Nortman and Ohanian are reported to be the main investors, there are other big-names involved, and the list runs long and it’s a who’s who of a combination of female celebrities and athletes. The list includes actresses Uzo Aduba, Jessica Chastain, America Ferrera, Jennifer Garner, Eva Longoria, Natalie Portman, and talk show host Lilly Singh. Tennis star Serena Williams, who is married to Ohanian, is also reported to be involved.
The ownership group isn’t just confined to Hollywod, as 14 former USWNT stars are also said to be involved. Among those are Shannon Boxx, who is from nearby Torrance, as well as former UWSNT stars Abby Wambach, Lauren Holiday, Joy Fawcett, Julie Foudy and Mia Hamm, who along with her husband Nomar Garciaparra also have an ownership stake in MLS’ LAFC.
Los Angeles (and Southern California in general) has long believed to be a target for NWSL expansion, and the reason is because of its reputation as a hotbed for women’s soccer. In addition to the endless youth teams in the area, the region also is home to one of the top college programs in the country at UCLA. More importantly, the region has produced many elite players that either were born and rasied in the area or played at one the region’s many college programs. Boxx and Fawcett are from the area, as are current USWNT stars Alex Morgan, Christen Press, and Hailie Mace, the first pick of the 2019 college draft and is currently with the North Carolina Courage. Mace, who is from Ventura County, can play as either a forward or a defender and is believed to be a future impact player at both the club level and the national level. Southern California has also produced talent that play on other national teams, such as Mexico’s Renae Cuellar from Hacienda Heights and New Zealand’s Ali Riley of the Orlando Pride, who was raised in the San Fernando Valley. Other players that were not born and raised in Southern California, but played at UCLA, USC and other programs in the Southland include Holiday, who played at UCLA, The Utah Royals’ Amy Rodriguez,who played at USC and the Courage’s Lynn Williams,who played at Pepperdine University in Malibu.
Los Angeles was one home to professional women’s soccer. Back in 2009, the inaugural season of Women’s Professional Socccer (WPS), the Los Angeles Sol were among seven charter members of the league. The Sol, owned at the time by Blue Star LLC and Galaxy owners AEG, were a star-studded group, with the likes of Boxx, Brazilian star Marta, Aly Wagner, Camille Abily, Aya Miyama, Stephanie Cox, currently with OL Reign, McCall Zerboni, now with Sky Blue FC and keeper Karina LeBlanc, who had a breakout season. The Sol won the WPS regular season title, but lost 1-0 in the final to Sky Blue FC at what was then the Home Depot Center. After the loss, AEG sold its share of the franchise to WPS and with the league unable to find a buyer, the decision was made to fold the franchise, and its players were dispersed to other teams.
