The 2023 Angel City FC season is the team's second season as a professional women's soccer team. Angel City FC plays in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.
Background
Coaching changes
On January 11, 2023, Angel City FC announced the hiring of NJ/NY Gotham FC assistant coach Becki Tweed to the same role, reuniting her with head coach Freya Coombe. Angel City then hired Melissa Phillips as first assistant coach on January 22.
Summary
March
Angel City FC hosted Club América in an international club friendly on March 8, 2023, winning 3–0. High-school draft pick Alyssa Thompson made her professional debut and scored her first professional goal in the match.
HBO announced on March 23 a three-party documentary series titled Angel City that covered the club's founding. The series aired in May.
As of March 24, Angel City FC reportedly had 16,000 season ticket holders.
Angel City played its season and home opener on March 26, against NJ/NY Gotham FC. The match featured Thompson's first regular-season goal, and the first use of video assistant referee (VAR) in the NWSL, which overturned a Jun Endo goal for Angel City scored from midfield. The club lost the match 1–2.
On March 29, Angel City announced the transfer and signing of Mexican national team forward and San Diego native Scarlett Camberos from Club América of Mexico's Liga MX Femenil for an undisclosed fee. Camberos had experienced persistent harassment from a fan while playing for América and requested the transfer for her safety.
April
During a match against Orlando Pride on April 2, Angel City forward Simone Charley suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. On April 11, the club placed her on its season-ending injury list. The 2–1 match was Angel City's first win of the regular season, but it would be their only win of the month, ending April with a record on the season in league play and a loss in the month's only match of the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup.
On April 7, assistant coach Melissa Phillips accepted the role of manager at Brighton & Hove Albion of the English Women's Super League.
On April 17, Angel City announced the signing of United States national team midfielder Julie Ertz to a one-year contract.
May
On May 13, Angel City FC lost a match against Washington Spirit 1–0 after Ashley Hatch scored a penalty kick. Referee JC Griggs awarded the penalty as the result of a handball call, ruling the foul was a result of a deflection of the ball off Angel City defender M.A. Vignola's body and into her shoulder, which her arm movement had been made "unnaturally bigger, blocking the path of the ball". The call was reviewed and confirmed by VAR. Following the match, coach Freya Coombe obstructed club president Julie Uhrman from confronting officials on the pitch. On May 17, Uhrman was fined an undisclosed amount by the league for violating league policies against approaching officials.
On May 20, goalkeeper DiDi Haračić and the Angel City defense registered its first shutout in a 0–0 draw against North Carolina Courage. On the same day, Angel City announced that defender Vanessa Gilles's loan to Olympique Lyon would be extended to June 2024 from its previous expiration of the end of Lyon's 2022–23 season in June.
On May 25, Sports Business Journal named the club its 2023 sports team of the year, over the NFL's Buffalo Bills, NHL's Florida Panthers, and NBA's Golden State Warriors.
On May 27, Angel City FC suffered its worst loss since June 3, 2022, losing 1–4 to OL Reign in Seattle despite going up early on a Claire Emslie goal scored directly from a corner. The Reign outshot Angel City 25–7, and Megan Rapinoe assisted on all the Reign's first three goals. Angel City closed the month with a May 31 Challenge Cup loss at Portland Thorns FC, fighting back from a 0–2 deficit to equalize in the second half but conceding a goal in the 3rd minute of second-half stoppage time to lose 2–3.
June
On June 1, Angel City announced the signing of French midfielder Amandine Henry, formerly of Olympique Lyon.
On June 15, 2023, Angel City FC announced that it had "parted ways" with head coach Freya Coombe the previous day. A report by Meg Linehan in The Athletic published on June 14 claimed the team had fired her. Her firing followed a start to the season, and Angel City were in 11th place of 12 teams at the time of her exit. The team named assistant coach Becki Tweed as Coombe's interim replacement.
Style of play
Under head coach Freya Coombe, Angel City deploy a four-player backline with a focus on possession and building play from the back.