After years of sharing a stadium, Angel City FC and LAFC will now be officially affiliated, as the MLS club recently announced it would be acquiring a minority stake in the NWSL team. We take a look at what the collaboration could possibly bring to both parties involved.
It’s been a busy year for the business side of Angel City FC. Willow and Bob Iger bought a majority stake in the club a few months ago, and more recently, the club welcomed a new minority stake member in LAFC.
The most valuable MLS franchise acquiring a stake in a fellow Los Angeles team that also happens to be the most valuable franchise in its respective league makes sense at face value, and the news is exciting not just for those in LA, but for women’s soccer fans across the nation as well.
#MLS club @LAFC has acquired a small stake in the NWSL’s Angel City FC. The deal stems from priced warrants issued to LAFC when @weareangelcity signed a lease agreement to play its games at LAFC’s stadium.
“We are thrilled to officially join the ACFC ownership group as minority… pic.twitter.com/5d6ISkI7j6
— Sportico (@Sportico) September 26, 2024
But before we get too far, we have to talk about the schadenfreude many ACFC fans are having with this announcement. In the HBO docuseries that follows the club before and during its first season, there is a scene where Angel City officials are touring the Banc of California (now known as BMO) Stadium as a potential home field for the club.
During the tour, LAFC officials with the cameras rolling famously said that they did not think Angel City would get 8,000 fans at games. Well, through three seasons Angel City averages more than double that number and is consistently at or near the top of NWSL attendance.
Angel City FC sell out their home opener for the third straight season! 🏟️🙌 pic.twitter.com/BzJ9Q0lhAP
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) March 18, 2024
But will anything be different next season with LAFC on board? Like Angel City, LAFC has been very successful in creating a recognizable brand and building momentum with its fan base. However, LAFC has also been able to replicate that success via on-field results, something that ACFC has struggled with during its first three seasons. 2024 could shape up to be the most disappointing season yet, as the club currently sits on the outside of the playoff hunt with three matches remaining.
Angel City introduced a new technical director and assistant general manager this season, and with a new majority ownership group, the upcoming offseason is shaping up to be the biggest in the young club’s existence.
Adding LAFC into the mix could bring the club even more positive change. Take facilities, for example. Angel City has made it a goal to build its own dedicated training facilities in the next few years to match that of NWSL rivals like the Kansas City Current and Bay FC, who each either already have or have announced training centers of their own.
Currently, Angel City trains at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, nearly 50 miles north of their home stadium.
LAFC, on the other hand, has its own custom built facilities not too far from BMO. While there may be some flexibility to where it would work for ACFC to have a session or two there, LAFC did not build its training facility with space for two teams.
Having gone through the process of purchasing land and building a facility in Los Angeles, they have a wealth of knowledge and connections that will be helpful when using Willow Iger’s money to look for potential new training locations. At least that’s the plan.
What LAFC will bring to the table (other than potentially free rent) is experience in successful squad and club building. Since joining MLS in 2018, LAFC has missed the playoffs just once, and is regularly competing for trophies. This is what Angel City needs most right now.
The club is tracking to miss the playoffs for the second time in three years, and a recent three-point deduction and front office suspension due to salary cap rule violations turned a tough situation into a dire one. It’s clear the club could use some sense of stability.
Angel City needs a vision and an identity, both of which LAFC has. Only time will tell how this new ownership works out but it very well could be the key to unlocking success on the field as well as off.
