Welcome to the Angel City Off-Season Tracker – your home for all off-season Angel City FC updates on the ShePlays site!
It was announced not long into the off-season that interim head coach Becki Tweed would be taking over officially in the upcoming season, following her success stepping into the role after Freya Coombe’s firing in June.
Angel City started their off-season roster moves on a quieter note, mutually exercising the one-year option on defender Merritt Mathias’s contract through the end of 2024.
It has been reported that the team will be sending French international Amandine Henry on loan to Lille Olympique SC beginning January 1, 2024.
As of November 20, 2023:
- Angel City currently has 16 players under contract
- Three players Lily Nabet, Megan Reid, and Clarisse Le Bihan, are still in contract negotiations to re-sign with ACFC
- Vanessa Gilles is expected to return to Angel City following the conclusion of her loan with Lyon
- Kelsey Hill’s contract has not been renewed
- Mackenzie Pluck’s contract has not been renewed
Both Hill and Pluck were rookies this season. The club has announced in their end-of-season roster update an intention to exercise the one-year option on Jun Endo’s contract.
Angel City also cites plans to sign contracts with all of their free agents and unrestricted free agents:
- Savannah McCaskill
- Sarah Gorden
- Elizabeth Eddy
- Madison Hammond
- Simone Charley
- Brittany Isenhour
- Dani Weatherholt
If successful in completing the contracts and signing all free agents listed above, Angel City will have 26 players under contract. This is the maximum number of players a team can carry, in accordance with the 2023 NWSL Roster Rules and Regulations. As Angel City has not traded for protection from the 2024 Expansion Draft, they are likely to lose two players to the incoming expansion teams before the end of the year, leaving only two potential places available on their roster, barring any player remains designated as a Season Ending Injury. Players on the SEI list are not included in counts for compliance with minimum (22) and maximum roster size.
Current Roster
- Goalkeepers: Angelina Anderson, DiDi Haračić
- Defenders: Vanessa Gilles, Merritt Mathias, Paige Nielsen, Ali Riley, Jasmyne Spencer, M.A. Vignola
- Midfielders: Claire Emslie, Jun Endo, Amandine Henry
- Forwards: Scarlett Camberos, Katie Johnson, Sydney Leroux, Christen Press, Alyssa Thompson
November 30, 2023
Jun Endo and Angel City mutually exercise a one-year option on her contract. Click here to read more.
December 7, 2023
Gisele Thompson has signed with Angel City after a season of training with the team. She officially joined the team via the league’s U18 player mechanism but will not take a U18 player spot in the coming season, as she signed just four days prior to her 18th birthday. Thompson’s contract runs through the 2025 season, with an option for 2026.
December 12, 2023
Angel City announced that defender Vanessa Gilles’ loan to Lyon has been extended to June 25, 2025.
Two trades were announced on December twelfth:
- Angel City traded Scarlett Camberos to Bay FC in exchange for $50,000 in allocation money and expansion draft protection
- Angel City traded $100,000 (to be sent in $50,000 increments, one in 2023 and a second in January 2024) and a 2024 international spot to Utah Royals FC for expansion draft protection
December 20, 2023
Free agent, defender Sarah Gorden re-signs with the team through 2026 with a mutual option for 2027.
January
Player Retention
Free agent, defender Elizabeth Eddy re-signs with Angel City through 2025, announced on January 4.
Defender Megan Reid and midfielder Lily Nabet re-sign with Angel City through 2025 on January 5 and 8 respectively.
On January 11, restricted free agent midfielder Madison Hammond re-signed with Angel City through the 2025 season.
Midfielder Clarisse Le Bihan signed a new contract on January 17 through 2024 with a mutual option for 2025.
Trades
On January 12, ACFC acquired midfielder Meggie Dougherty-Howard from San Diego Wave FC in exchange for $40,000.
Also on January 12, Angel City acquired Utah Royals FC’s natural fourth-round pick (No. 44) in the 2024 NWSL Draft, in exchange for $15,000 in allocation money.
NWSL Draft
Angel City made three selections on draft night.
- No. 37, midfielder Felicia Knox, University of Alabama
- No. 44, midfielder Jessica Garziano, St. John’s University
- No. 51, defender Madison Curry, Princeton University
As of January 17:
Angel City has 21 players under contract.
- Goalkeepers (2): Angelina Anderson, DiDi Haračić
- Defenders (9): Elizabeth Eddy, Vanessa Gilles (on loan), Sarah Gorden, Merritt Mathias, Paige Nielsen, Ali Riley, Jasmyne Spencer, Gisele Thompson, M.A. Vignola
- Midfielders (6): Meggie Dougherty-Howard, Claire Emslie, Jun Endo, Amandine Henry, Clarisse Le Bihan, Lily Nabet
- Forwards (4): Katie Johnson, Sydney Leroux, Christen Press, Alyssa Thompson
Dani Weatherholt and Savannah McCaskill will not return to Angel City in 2024, and have signed elsewhere. Simone Charley remains a free agent, Brittany Isenhour remains a restricted free agent. ACFC has not signed any free agents from other NWSL clubs.
January 18, 2024
Angel City announces the signing of forward Casey Phair via the U18 entry mechanism. Per NWSL regulation, the 16-year-old South Korean international has signed with the club through 2026.
Phair is the 22nd player to sign on for the 2024 season in LA.
Check back often for more Angel City updates over the off-season.
Click here to head back to the Off-Season Tracker Hub for the 2023-2024 off-season!