Hannah Seabert, Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir and Evelyn Shores signed with Angel City and will be available to play their first NWSL matches in August.
Ever since she visited Los Angeles with her national team three years ago, Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir knew she wanted to play in the National Women's Soccer League one day.
When the opportunity to play for Angel City presented itself, Jónsdóttir was eager to join the league and play for new Angel City coach Alexander Straus.
“When Angel City came up, I was just really excited about it," she said. "I know Alex. I played against him when he was at Bayern and so I knew he was a great coach.”
Three new players have joined Angel City (4-3-6) during the past few months, delivering an infusion talent for a team that sits in 11th place in the 14-team NWSL standings. The league's top eight teams advance to the playoffs.
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Jónsdóttir, a forward with Icelandic national team experience, signed with Angel City on May 21. After finishing her stint with Frauen-Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg, Jónsdóttir joined her first Angel City practice on Tuesday afternoon.
Midfielder Evelyn Shores, who most recently played for the University of North Carolina, signed with Angel City on July 10. She has played for the U-23 U.S. women’s national team.
Goalkeeper Hannah Seabert, who was Sporting Clube de Portugal's captain earlier this year, signed with Angel City on May 30 and has been training with the team for three weeks.
Seabert, a Riverside native and Pepperdine alum, spent most of her career playing abroad and wanted to return to the United States.
“As soon as Angel City opened up several years back, I just knew it was a team I wanted to be a part of,” she said of the franchise that began play in 2023.
When Seabert's contract with Sporting CP expired, she pursued her goal of joining Angel City.
“When I came and visited here a couple weeks ago, it felt like a home away from home," she said. "The facilities are amazing and the girls were so welcoming. It just felt right when I came here.”
Angel City sporting director Mark Parsons said the new players earned contracts because they aligned with the vision for the future of the club: winning.
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“Who are the players that we believe represent where we’re going and can play for Angel City when we’re fighting for trophies,” Parsons said, referring to the question Angel City leaders asked before signing any new players.
While the new players present an infusion of fresh talent, Angel City also is benefiting from the return of a familiar face.
Forward Jun Endo, who tore her ACL in February 2024, played for the first time in 18 months during a friendly against Bay FC on Saturday. Endo was on the pitch for 30 minutes and scored the only goal of the game.
“If you're missing a player like Jun Endo for as much time as Angel City has been missing her, of course it affects [the game] because you cannot replace a player like that,” said Straus, the team's coach.
Straus said he expects Angel City to evolve and move closer to achieving its long-term championship goals with the new signees and Endo available to play.
Angel City, which is in the midst of an international break, plays a friendly Saturday against Carolina Ascent FC and resumes NWSL competition on Aug. 1 at Seattle Reign FC.
“Its not just about filling a roster," Straus said. "We need quality. We need people who can make a difference for us and so we hope they will do this for us.
“We will be good now, but we will be better in January."
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Category: General Sports
