Topics: Angel City FC, Los Angeles, California, NWSL, Lisa Bird, Julie Foudy, Abby Wambach, Cheney Holiday, Julie Uhrman
Women’s professional soccer has finally arrived in Los Angeles after over a decade of anticipation. The National Women’s Soccer League officially announced Angel City FC as the league’s next expansion team joining in 2022.

The NWSL revealed a majority woman-founded group led by actress Natalie Portman, technology venture capitalist Kara Nortman, media and gaming entrepreneur Julie Uhrman, and technology entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian who led the investment through his firm Initialized Capital, has secured the right to give women's soccer fans in Los Angeles a club to support.

The team's official name and venue partner will be revealed before the end of 2020. For now, the group decided to name themselves "Angel City" in honor of its planned hope in Los Angeles.

The ownership group first caught media attention in June 2020, when a company named WFC LA, Inc. submitted a Statement and Designation by Foreign Corporation form to the Secretary of State in California to allow them to transact intrastate business to California. Uhrman was listed as  CEO and president of WFC LA, Inc. on the filing and other forms such as the trademark applications. 

Led by Uhrman, the founding investor group includes a wide-ranging variety of athletes, celebrities and entrepreneurs. The group has its fair share of former US Women's National team players including Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Rachel Buehler, Shannon Boxx, Amanda Cromwell, Lorrie Fair Allen, Ronnie Fair Sullins, Joy Fawcett, Angela Hucles, Shannon MacMillan, Tisha Venturini Hoch, and Saskia Webber, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and FIFA World Cup Champions Lauren Cheney Holiday and Abby Wambach. Moreover, other athletes and celebrities included in the group are Serena Williams, Jennifer Garner, Uzo Ohanian, Jessica Chastain, Casey Neistat and others.

"The growth trajectory of the NWSL is incredibly exciting, but we also need to be strategic and thoughtful about how fast we expand and the communities we partner with. We've long sought the right partner in LA considering the NWSL fanbase that already exists in the region and the massive interest in women's soccer in general. Those factors, along with an incredible ownership group make this an ideal situation and we couldn't be more thrilled to move forward." - NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird.