Christen Press Becomes First Soccer Player Named to Angel City Football Club Roster

Berengui/DeFodi Images via Getty Christen Press

Christen Press — who just won a bronze medal with the U.S. women's national soccer team — has a new home team.

The soccer star, 32, has been acquired by the Angel City Football Club in a trade from Racing Louisville Football Club, the National Women's Soccer League announced in a press release on Monday. As part of the trade, Angel City gave up their first-round NWSL draft pick, as well as $75,000 in allocation money and roster protection from the club during the 2021 expansion draft for Press.

Press, whose hometown is Palos Verdes Estates, California, is now the first player on the new soccer team's roster. She most recently played overseas, for Manchester United in the Women's Super League last season.

Speaking to The Athletic, Press said, "It feels like a moment that I've been hoping for for a really long time. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, moved when I was 18 to go to college, and I've kept my heart and my roots in LA this whole time."

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Angel City is the first female majority-owned women's soccer team and is set to begin playing at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles as part of the National Women's Soccer League in spring 2022.

The team's initial ownership group was announced last year and includes Abby Wambach and Natalie Portman. That group is also made up of Serena Williams and Williams' 3-year-old daughter, Alexis Olympia Jr., as well as Uzo Aduba, Jessica Chastain, America Ferrera, Jennifer Garner, Eva Longoria and Lilly Singh. Sophia Bush and Lindsey Vonn are among the others that later joined.

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Former U.S. women's national team players Julie Foudy, Mia Hamm, Rachel Buehler, Shannon Boxx, Amanda Cromwell, Lorrie Fair Allen, Ronnie Fair Sullins, Joy Fawcett, Angela Hucles, Shannon MacMillan, Tisha Venturini Hoch and Saskia Webber additionally are co-owners.

Earlier this year, the team officially unveiled their crest and colors via PEOPLE. The crest was designed by Los Angeles native Amedea Tassinari and features, at its core, an angel taking flight and breaking out of the outside edges of the shield — which the team says symbolizes Angel City's goal of breaking the mold.

The light pink color of the crest, which also features black and white, is drawn from the iconic Los Angeles sunsets.