Angel City FC and general manager Angela Hucles have mutually parted ways, the club announced Thursday. Hucles was appointed general manager in 2022 after initially joining the club as its vice president of player development in 2021.
“As general manager, she elevated our standards, secured the largest dedicated performance center in the NWSL and assembled a world-class leadership team that supports our players and staff in every way,” club president Julie Uhrman said in a news release. “She has always led with integrity, putting the needs of our players and soccer staff above all else. Her contributions are immeasurable, her impact everlasting, and her passion unmatched. We are forever grateful.”
NWSL fined Angel City for salary cap violations earlier this season, including a $200,000 fine and a three-point deduction from its 2024 standings for violations of league rules in the 2023 season that resulted in the club exceeding the salary cap in 2024. Hucles and Uhrman were also suspended from all player transaction duties. The club finished the season in 12th place, six points from the cutoff for the playoffs.
Hucles took over the GM role mid-season after Eni Aluko was transitioned out of the role, eventually departing the club at the beginning of 2023. Under Hucles, the team drafted No. 1 pick Alyssa Thompson in 2023 and signed Julie Ertz to a one-year contract, although Ertz was gone for much of the season due to the 2023 World Cup. The club also brought in Merritt Mathias, Katie Johnson, Elizabeth Eddy, and Amandine Henry, who signed a three-year contract but was traded to the Utah Royals in 2024.
Per Angel City, assistant general manager Matt Wade will be interim general manager while the club “conducts a comprehensive search for a new GM.”
Are the new owners cleaning house?
This GM search will constitute perhaps the most visible hiring so far under the club’s new ownership, Willow Bay and Bob Iger, who acquired a controlling interest in Angel City in July.
With the new owners pledging another $50 million in investment and undoubtedly wanting to maintain the club’s upward trajectory in valuation — from $180 million to $250 million in just one year — there’s even more pressure on the club to maintain its brand power.
While Angel City has done an admirable job of marketing itself in a supremely crowded Los Angeles sports landscape, there’s only so far the club can go with a brand if it doesn’t start winning on the field. That may mean more replacements; even on winning teams, new owners may sometimes want to install the people they’re familiar with or whom they trust. Starting out their tenure with a losing season and a very public league sanction might be motivation enough for a clean slate past just the general manager role.
(Top photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
