October 8 – Late last week the NWSL (National Women’s Soccer League) announced that Angel City FC would be punished for circumventing the league rules around salary caps.
The most valuable franchise in the NWSL, worth an estimated $250 million, was fined $200,000 and docked three points in the 2024 standings.
As well as the monetary punishment, co-founder and CEO, Julie Uhrman (pictured right) and General Manager, Angela Hucles Mangano (pictured left) have been banned from conducting duties relating to any player transactions for the remainder of the calendar year. It is unclear how the suspension will affect both women’s roles as the club moves forward into 2025 under the new ownership of Willow Bay and Bob Iger.
After an investigation by the NWSL, it was reported that Angel City arranged five side agreements with players, that were not disclosed with the league. This enabled ACFC to spend money and provide benefits outside of the reported outlay that went to the salary cap. As a result, the NWSL wrote in a statement that the team exceeded the salary cap by about $50,000 for four weeks in 2024.
This isn’t the first time Angel City has circumvented the rules. In 2021 the club was fined $20,000, plus a $20,000 loss in unfunded allocation money for violating the NWSL’s tampering policy regarding then-Gotham FC player Allie Long. A representative for Angel City has thus far declined to comment.
With the emergence of women’s professional team sports, most notably the WNBA and NWSL, the pressure to compete at the top has only grown.
With the tag of most-valuable franchise in the women’s league, ACFC is feeling the pressure on and off the pitch leading to corners being cut. With the team currently six points off a play-off spot with just three regular season matches remaining, it looks like another bleak off-season could be in store for the club that would like to consider itself the gold standard of women’s professional soccer in America.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at moc.l1734895665labto1734895665ofdlr1734895665owedi1734895665sni@o1734895665fni1734895665