Angel City announced today that the club has executed deals with the Portland Thorns and NJ/NY Gotham FC to acquire the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NWSL Draft. ACFC traded the club’s 2023 NWSL Draft first-round natural pick (No. 5), their 2024 second-round top natural pick, and allocation money to acquire midfielder Yazmeen Ryan from the Thorns.
ACFC then traded Ryan and allocation money in exchange for NJ/NY Gotham’s 2023 NWSL Draft No. 1 pick. The draft will take place Thursday, January 12 in Philadelphia.
“We were extremely proud of the product we put on the field in our inaugural season, but we have our sights set on making the playoffs and winning championships, ” said ACFC General Manager Angela Hucles Mangano. “We know that in order to achieve these goals, we have to set ourselves up for on-field success for many years to come, which is why we wanted to be able to control our destiny with the No. 1 overall draft pick of the 2023 Draft. We are focused on making as big an impact on the field as possible, and we look forward to being able to do so in our second season.”
ACFC is entering its second year in the NWSL after an inaugural year that saw four sellout crowds of 22,000 at Banc of California Stadium and a record-setting attendance average of over 19,100 per game.