LOS ANGELES — A star-powered ownership group apparently will be bringing a professional women's soccer team to Los Angeles.
The National Women’s Soccer League announced on Tuesday that Los Angeles has been granted expansion rights, giving the NWSL its first California team in an ownership group including Corpus Christi native Eva Longoria.
The team doesn’t yet have an official name, but is currently going by “Angel City.”
The time has come to reshape expectations on & off the soccer field.
— We Are Angel City (@weareangelcity) July 21, 2020
This is the place. The time is now. Welcome to the beginning. #WeAreAngelCity pic.twitter.com/M3bvsmiAfm
The Angel City ownership group is dotted by solid business leaders including Longoria. It is led by entrepreneur Julie Uhrman, venture capitalists Kara Nortman and Alexis Ohanian and actress and activist Natalie Portman. The rest of the ownership group is full of powerhouse women. It includes Serena Williams and her two-year-old daughter, Olympia, who becomes the youngest owner in professional sports. Others include talk show host Lily Singh and actresses Jennifer Garner, Uzo Aduba, Jessica Chastain and America Ferrera.
The team also includes 14 former United States Women's National Team players. Yahoo Sports reports that 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, Abby Wambach and Lauren Cheney Holiday are included in the group.
The franchise will begin play in 2022 and be the NWSL's 11th team. The official name and the home facility it will use will be announced by the end of the year.
