(East Los Angeles, CA) [From The Editor’s Desk]: The Angel City Football Club (ACFC) has assembled its team for the start of their 2023 pre-season and will train at the Cal Lutheran University Sports Complex located in Thousand Oaks CA, Ventura County. A total of 32 players have been invited to camp and will be under the watchful eyers of Head Coach, Freya Combe and her Coaching Staff.

Based on the NWSL Draft of 1/12, ACFC came away with several “key” additions to assist in their goal of reaching the Playoffs, eventually going further than the first round, and very hopefully, to the final rounds. Expectations are high and the Club will be looking forward to having great attendance statistics during their Home Match schedule set for BMO Stadium.

Do give a good read of their full press announcement below for more information on your favorite Angel City player.

ANGEL CITY FOOTBALL CLUB ANNOUNCES 2023 PRESEASON ROSTER

LOS ANGELES – On January 31st, Angel City Football Club (ACFC) opened training and released their preseason roster in preparation for their second season in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). Included on this roster are ACFC’s two 2023 draft picks, two newcomers from offseason moves, and 20 returning players from the 2022 inaugural season.

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ACFC’s preseason roster features the following players (in alphabetical order by last name):

• Goalkeepers (3): Angelina Anderson (DRAFT), DiDi Haračić, Brittany Isenhour

• Defenders (12): Rachel Diodati (NRI), Vanessa Gilles (LOAN, INT), Sarah Gorden, Madison Hammond, Kelsey Hill (NRI), Merritt Mathias, Paige Nielsen, Megan Reid, Ali Riley, Allyson Swaby (LOAN), Giselle Thompson (U18 Trialist), M.A. Vignola

• Midfielders (9): Taylor Aylmer (NRI), Katie Johnson, Clarisse Le Bihan (INT), Savannah McCaskill, Molly McLaughlin (NRI), Lily Nabet, Mackenzie Pluck (NRI), Domi Richardson (NRI), Dani Weatherholt

• Forwards (8): Simone Charley, Claire Emslie (INT), Jun Endo (INT), Sydney Leroux, Mia Minestrella (U18 Trialist), Christen Press (SEI), Jasmyne Spencer, Alyssa Thompson (DRAFT)

Key: Non-Roster Invitee (NRI), International Player (INT), Not Yet Reported (NYR), 2023 NWSL Draft pick (DRAFT)

The 32 players will train under Head Coach Freya Coombe, First Assistant Coach Melissa Phillips, Assistant Coach Becki Tweed, and Goalkeeper Coach Daniel Ball  to prepare for the club’s upcoming 2023 NWSL season.

Most notably, the club’s 2023 draftees, forward Alyssa Thompson and goalkeeper Angelina Anderson, will be in attendance this preseason. Thompson, the 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick, has agreed to a three-year contract through the 2025 season with the club, while Anderson recently signed a one-year contract.

Newcomers in the market, defender Merritt Mathias and forward/midfielder Katie Johnson were the latest ACFC offseason acquisitions that will be reporting to training this preseason.

Defender Vanessa Gilles, on loan to Lyon, and defender Allyson Swaby, on loan to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), will not participate in preseason activities, but are expected to join the club once the terms of their respective loans have been met.

Following their time with their national teams, Ali Riley (New Zealand), Jun Endo (Japan) and Claire Emslie (Scotland) will join the team for the beginning of preseason.

In addition, Giselle Thompson, Alyssa’s younger sister, and Mia Minestrella have also joined the preseason roster as U18 trialists and are expected to train with ACFC throughout the season.

Full details on ACFC’s 2023 preseason schedule, complete regular-season schedule, and Challenge Cup schedule will be released at a later date.