Natalie Portman announces new LA-based football team 'Angel City FC', to join NWSL in 2022

On Tuesday, Hollywood star Natalie Portman revealed that the new football team she plans to bring to the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) will be named 'Angel City FC'. Back in July, the NWSL revealed that a new team will be coming to Los Angeles in the spring of 2022 thanks to the majority women-founded ownership group led by Portman. Along with Portman, the ownership group consists of actors Uzo Aduba, Jessica Chastain, America Ferrera, Jennifer Garner and Eva Longoria.

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Natalie Portman announces name of new LA-based football team

On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Natalie Portman revealed that the women's football team she is helping bring to Los Angeles in 2022 will be named 'Angel City FC'. The 39-year-old said: "I'm so excited for the future of women's football in the USA. A group of us had become extremely passionate about the sport because we have the best women's football team in the world. We won two the last two FIFA World Cups as well." Portman then went on to confirm that the team her group is helping bring to LA will be called 'Angel City FC'. 

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Portman previously revealed that she spent time with the USWNT players and several other owners of NWSL clubs. "A football team in LA could not only elevate the NWSL and players’ exposure but also bring incredibly talented women to the city of LA — my city,” she said in an interview with Sportico. 

The eight-year-old NWSL, which played with nine teams this year, is set to add Racing Louisville FC next season and one more team from Sacramento sometime in the next two years. Angel City will become the league’s 11th team in 2022.

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Who are the Angel City owners? 

According to reports from the LA Times, Julie Uhrman is Angel City FC's founder and president. The club's majority-women ownership group was founded by Uhrman, Natalie Portman and venture capitalist Kara Nortman. The team's original investor group includes tennis icon Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian, 14 former USWNT players (among them Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach) and actresses Eva Longoria, Jessica Chastain, America Ferrera and Jennifer Garner.

However, the group of owner-investors grew to more than 50 people with the addition of tennis great Billie Jean King and her partner Ilana Kloss. WNBA star Candace Parker,  NHL star PK Subban, actor James Cordon and five-time Pro Bowl lineman Ryan Kalil also recently became investors at Angel City FC. 

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Image Credits - Natalie Portman Instagram