[TV static drones]
[bright tone]
- Whoo! - [chuckling] Whoa.
Wait a minute.
[laughing] Yo!
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. I could play here.
I had no idea how big the screens were.
The Challenge Cup was a nice kick in the pants
that we needed.
Which, I think we're all grateful for
because, you know, it's only when things get hard
that you're forced to learn lessons.
Holy shit.
[laughs]
- Yep. - Yup.
We're hoping for sell-out which is 22,000 people.
Yeah.
Oh, my God, our home opener is tomorrow, like--
There's gonna be nerves with people.
I don't care who you are;
you're gonna look around and hear the crowd and be nervous.
- Oh, my goodness! - [chuckles] This is insane.
You got your fit planned out?
- I do. Do you? - [laughs]
You're wearing overalls or what?
- Yeah! - [laughs]
- Volemos. - Volemos.
[chatter]
- Yes! - [laughs]
Completely customized to you and what you want--
if you want a chair, if you don't want a chair.
I'd like a chair.
I'm good either way.
I like chairs, I don't like chairs.
Yeah, that's nice.
From Pee Wee League to this?
Like, who would've thought, you know?
[groans]
[exhales]
This is my tenth season in the league,
but this is like my first opportunity on this stage.
I told Dan I was going to retire last year.
I was second string with Gotham.
To wake up every day and tell yourself,
"You're enough, you're good, keep your confidence"--
it's a grind.
[murmuring] epic.
That is epic.
That's where my mum, dad, and sister get to sit tomorrow.
They got here yesterday.
But look at this place.
This is unreal.
Welcome to the home of women's soccer.
Whoo!
[energetic music]
All right, off we go!
Angel City, spread your wings!
♪ ♪
- U.S. soccer on the women's side has been
fighting for respect.
- The mantra always was "you should be thankful"
and "you can't screw it up."
- The National Women's Soccer League just kicked off
its tenth season.
- Two new clubs coming out in California.
- Angel City Football Club in Los Angeles is backed by
the largest female ownership group in professional sports.
- 14 former U.S. Women's National Team players
are investors.
- These are the best players in the world.
We're gonna elevate the sport
and show how valuable it truly is.
- When you watch these athletes play,
you're changing something that was formed in your brain
about what it means for a woman to be a woman.
[vocalizing]
♪ ♪
♪ Hey ♪
[wheels squeaking]
[engine whirring]
Goal, Angel City.
I don't think you've ever seen a camera person be like,
"Hey. How ya doing?"
Does it ever blow your mind how big a soccer field is?
- Yeah, soccer fields are very big.
- It's really big. - Who wants to run this?
Like, in football, you go like short distances
and you get to stop. Like, they don't stop.
It's just--it blows me away
when you think about how big this is.
LAFC's let us use their stadium,
but we want it to feel like Angel City's stadium,
so there's a lot of work going on
as far as creating signage,
replacing a lot of LAFC signs and pathways
so it feels like our branding's here,
our logo's here, our crest is here.
You know, the women that are playing here deserve this.
[playing piano]
♪ ♪
- [discordant chord] - Oh, that was it.
[laughter]
This is where my parents watch my games.
[chuckles] If they can figure out CBS and Paramount+.
There's this pressure to want to do well
now that we have 15,000 plus season ticket holders.
I want them to buy a season ticket next year as well.
If we lose every game, I don't know if I can ask them
to do that.
We have to work damn hard if we want to beat teams
that have been around for ten years.
Well, this is where I practiced my soccer.
And then we had a net on this hedge.
And so then I would just dribble around
and then shoot against the hedge.
And the hedge was a lot shorter,
and then sometimes it would go over
into the neighbors' pool.
Wasn't it about that high?
Yeah, I don't know. How did it get so high?
- Probably as high-- - That was 25 years ago.
The 1999 World Cup was, I think, really defining.
To see 90,000 people watching the U.S.,
that's like something I will never forget.
I loved Mia Hamm. I loved Briana Scurry.
I wanted to be a goalie even though I was
like 2 feet tall.
Briana Scurry was my hero growing up
and why I wanted to play soccer
and believed I could play at this level.
They've laid such an incredible foundation for us.
All the success in 1999 was a real breakthrough
for women's soccer,
for women's sports in this country.
And it really showed what's possible.
Goal!
[loud cheers and applause]
Your team has said all along "We don't want to win.
We want to leave a legacy." What's the legacy?
All these people in these stands, 90,000 plus,
and the smiling faces of these young kids
that are sitting right here.
I have a photo from the final of the 1999 World Cup
with my face painted at the Rose Bowl.
And so it's like I look at those photos and I'm like,
"I definitely was dreaming of this."
You know, there wasn't always leagues to watch.
There weren't always games to watch.
We kind of had to make our own dreams.
We're finally realizing that '99er dream of,
we should be crushing this space.
That, I think, is the importance of Angel City
being successful.
Lot of big names, players, actresses, owners.
Can they pull it off?
- We are gonna do our best to get everything done
that we need to get done for our partners, our fans,
our owners, our community,
our players, our coaches, and each one of us.
If something doesn't get done or doesn't make it,
let's just prioritize what's most important.
Just remember that the person sitting next to you
and across from you and on the Zoom is as stressed
and as busy as you are.
[indistinct chatter]
Welcome home.
[cheers and applause]
This is probably the nicest room
I've ever been in for a team meeting, which is great.
But this is the standard now that we deserve
as a club, as players,
and I think it's great that we're finally home
and we can now start to build on the rhythm
that we found in preseason
and the success as a way of making this our home.
Come over here. [laughter]
Be discreet.
- The slow crawl. - You are awkward!
Vanessa Gilles, everyone. [laughter and applause]
Now heading into our season,
I would like to make the captaincy announcement.
Ali. [cheers and applause]
Yes!
- Speech, speech! - Speech!
Moving forward to the game--
We had a turbulent start with preseason
and it was a real slog, and we had to get results,
but the results weren't coming our way.
So the first home game at the Banc,
I want to get the win.
[hip-hop music]
I told Freya, if we do nothing else this season,
if we only win one game, it has to be the home opener.
♪ ♪
Ooh, game day fresh pair?
Did they get them in time?
I ordered five new pairs of each color.
- [laughs] - I spent $300 on socks.
I got an MRI,
and I have a strained MCL.
We're gonna strap it up, put on a sleeve,
and just kinda, like, test it out and see how it feels.
Fingers crossed, 'cause I really wanna be
a part of the magic tomorrow.
It's gonna be really exciting, and that's, like--
I really wanna be a part of that.
It's been four months going through some injury stuff,
and I'm going absolutely crazy.
I wasn't cleared to play.
The game is finally here, and I'm not ready.
Yellow, yellow, yellow! Good.
You know, as much as it's been difficult preseason
and we've had a lot of injuries,
there's been lots of things that've gone wrong--
I couldn't have asked for a better group of women.
Like, their hearts, you know, are in the right place.
♪ Hey ♪
Go!
♪ Hey ♪
Winning is infectious, but you gotta taste it first.
Go, Katie!
- The big screen! - This is a walkout video
- that will play... - Whoo!
Before you guys enter the field.
When it hits the logo,
that's the cue for the smoke, the pyro, everything, when it--
- All right, hit it. - Hit it.
Hit it.
[rock music playing on video]
Whoo! [all cheering]
- Whoo! - Yay!
♪ ♪
- Yeah! - Ahh!
[cheering]
[excited chatter]
The team has been through so much,
and it's a really special moment.
So it was like happiness but I also was really sad
because I don't feel like I'm a part of
that entire special moment.
Yeah, but it doesn't feel like it until I'm back.
And I think a lot of injured players go through that,
and that's the side a lot of people don't see.
It's like...
it's tough, it's tough.
[percussive rock music]
- This is the first huge test for Angel City.
North Caroline has proven that they can score.
They're averaging two goals a game,
and Angel City, defensively, they're not that sound.
I give the win to North Carolina.
[exhales]
Today is--[sighs]
Today is what we've been building for.
It's the home opener.
Angel City Football Club-- it's our inaugural game.
"For the last 22 months, Julie Uhrman
"has been focused on launching
"a women's professional soccer team
"and little else.
"'My life is Angel City and my kids,' she said.
"'Sometimes in that order.' [laughs]
"Taking Angel City from concept to conclusion
"had been a bumpy ride for Uhrman.
"Then last fall, the league fined Angel City twice
"within a six-week period.
"First for announcing the signing of Press
"before the deal was completed,
"and later for violating NWSL tampering policy
"in pursuit of midfielder Allie Long,
who had played for Coombe with Gotham FC."
Jesus, you would think we are, like...
- I know. - You know, failing.
I mean...
- The pictures are awesome. - The pictures!
[laughs]
Hey, guys! On our way to the first ever home opener.
We're making some over-easy eggs, pancakes,
that's my game day go-to.
My mom is here.
- Hey, everybody! - [laughs]
She's actually about to iron my pregame outfit,
so bless her.
Volemos.
Oh, my God! Look at all the people!
I was shooting a series,
and I flew out right after work.
I land in L.A., and I take the COVID test,
and it's positive.
I was just like, "No!"
I was--it was horrible.
It was horrible. I was devastated.
[upbeat music playing on PA]
♪ ♪
Look at all these people!
I followed Julie Uhrman around
for my story at the home opener,
and I just remember, like, somehow I turned into
a person that was trying to, like, get her places.
It does always feel a little bit
like stepping into a whirlwind.
We have all this progress
on the marketing and commercial side,
you have big sponsors coming in,
we're spending a lot of money.
I think the really important thing for everyone involved
is to not lose sight of the fans
who have been there at the start
and the game.
Yeah! [laughs]
This is it.
This is crazy. Hello, hello.
I was seeing all the fans. I'm like,
"Is this for a different event?"
But, no it's for us.
[laughs]
I have no words for you.
I got infumed in the car from the nail polish.
- Literally have a headache. - [laughs]
[indistinct chatter]
This is what women's sports deserves--
a sold-out crowd, everyone cheering for them,
wearing their scarves and logos.
I am so, so excited.
I'm so proud of everyone in the organization.
I can't believe we're really here.
I can't believe this is happening
I never could imagine that this day was possible,
and I know there was a lot of sleepless nights
to get it to here.
Just know this:
There's never been a press line before a game
- in the history of my career. - Yes!
I'm tired that when a woman does something,
they think we only do it for women.
We do it for everyone, just like a guy, okay?
So, leadership and empowerment--let's go for it.
Angel City, you better win.
[tense music]
♪ ♪
Why are you guys out here right now?
- What's going on? - Nerves. No.
- No. - No, we just always--
- Do you do this? - Yeah, we always
- kick the ball around before. - Oh, you make me
- wanna kick one. - Well, I mean, come on in.
- Can I kick one? - Yeah. Here.
- All right. - We've had a request.
We've had a kick request.
Natalie and I were at the same event.
I got up on the stage, and I ended with something like,
"Make a new friend today.
"Find someone that you have no reason
"to do any business with
"who you're just curious to get to know,
give 'em your number."
And one person came up to me
and gave me their number, and it's--
Literally, I can show it to you.
It is still in my phone as "Natalie P."
She put it in my phone. I've never changed it.
It's been a while. I retired in sixth grade.
Okay.
- I've got faith. - Yes!
All right. I'm gonna call it on that one.
In life, if you're looking for new openings,
new friendships, new experiences,
new conversations, new adventures,
they will start to present themselves.
You may not even realize they're occurring.
But once you sort of open yourself up to 'em
and you say, yes--
and certainly, some of them were uncomfortable for me--
it's just like pulling the string
that can lead you to a place like this.
When I saw Angel City playing
in the preseason games, I thought they were awful.
We have the biggest stars
here in Southern California sports.
It's the most crowded sports landscape in the country,
maybe in the world.
There are ways you can stand out,
but bottom line is you need to succeed on the field.
Fans, make some noise!
[cheers and applause]
- Yeah. - Right.
For our players, for many of them,
it's the first time they've played
in front of a crowd that size.
You've got all these celebrities endorsing the club
and such a cauldron of pressure.
[upbeat music]
I grew up playing soccer,
and I'm Chicana-- Mexican American,
proud to be--and football is a huge part of our culture.
And so, this is a very full circle moment for me,
and I've cried at least five times today,
but very proud to be a part of this, for sure.
[energetic music playing]
All right, I have a quick little addition
to the three clap,
and I need you all to be with me
because I gotta get 22,000 people together,
and we can't practice this shit.
[laughter] I'm gonna go,
three clap on three-- boom, boom, boom,
and then you give, like, a, "Uh!"
[laughter] Uh!
Whatever it is you want, but it's from the soul.
- Are you ready? On three. - Yes!
One, two, three! [all clapping]
[all grunt]
Oh! It works! [cheers and applause]
The three clap came from
the early days of the national team.
You go, "One, two, three. Uh!"
But we were like, the "Uh!" is from your soul.
Like, that's right before you go on the field. Let's go!
[cheering]
Please welcome to the pitch
the owners of Angel City Football Club.
When I met Julie and Kara and Natalie,
I was blown away.
So Mia and I were talking about,
"Wow, wouldn't this be really cool
"if every player who played on the national team
who had a tie to Southern California came in?"
[cheering]
We sent out an email to the group.
Literally, within two hours, it was like,
"Hell yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!" "Yes!"
"I want in!"
[cheering]
We have 14 former U.S. Women's National Team players
who are owners on this team.
They are why we are here.
It is their successes, it was their fight.
They did all the hard work.
Now, they not only are responsible
for us existing, but now they have a seat at the table
for how the league grows and how the sport grows,
and they have a financial stake
in how this team succeeds.
I'm a dreamer,
but I never expected to be part of an ownership group
of any professional sports team,
let alone the sport that I played, loved,
and helped build in this country for so many years.
[cheering]
Everything about what we've done so far this year
has been a process.
We're getting better, and better, and better
each game we play, and today's just another game
for us to showcase that we're getting better.
Okay? Focus on the process. Stay in the moment.
Enjoy the game. [cheering]
[applause]
Yes, beautiful people,
do you know what's better
than putting on for your city?
♪ Is your city putting on for you, whoo ♪
♪ Yeah, the city's putting on for you, huh ♪
♪ See the real, recognize the truth, uh ♪
♪ And now you, and now I'm ♪
both: ♪ And now I'm running with the Angels ♪
♪ Whoo ♪
♪ And now I'm running with the Angels ♪
Eight, seven, six, five.
- Standby, Michelle. - And then take one.
Ready, three, and...
take three.
♪ You know it's the queen ♪
And now, your starting 11
for Angel City Football Club.
[cheers and applause]
[upbeat music playing]
♪ ♪
This atmosphere in Banc of California Stadium
has been increasing by the minute,
and you can see the supporters group is unveiling
their first regular season tifo.
This is one of the largest tifos in NWSL history.
It covers the entirety of the supporters' section.
It reads, "A new dawn," in Spanish,
and Angel City FC has been adamant
that they're not just bringing a soccer team to Los Angeles,
they're bringing a sense of community,
and that's what tonight is really all about.
[bluesy music playing]
♪ Dragonfly out in the sun, you know what I mean... ♪
Angel City in black, North Carolina in white.
I'm seeing nerves on some of those faces.
Would you have nerves, do you think?
Absolutely.
And then you run it out in the first five.
That's right.
Now you know you're in L.A.
All right, off we go! Kickoff.
We're in Banc of California Stadium.
Two years in the making
to get Angel City FC from a dream to a reality.
And now the actual soccer begins.
[coaches shouting]
Similar ball, a little higher, though,
from McCaskill.
Headed back across.
Jun Endo, one move to get free.
Left footed serve-- And, ohh!
What a start for Angel City!
[crowd cheering]
Yes!
- [screaming] - Whoo-hoo! Whoo-hoo!
Yeah! Called it! Fuckin' called it!
Let's go!
Yes! Yes!
Whoo! Whoo!
Endo, just a quick little touch there
bypasses the pressure of O'Sullivan.
Now she's got time to pick out a target.
And there are three players in the box, wide open.
And Gilles makes no mistake with this conversion.
The home opener against North Carolina at the Banc--
top three of my sporting moments ever.
It was just electric.
[playing drums, chanting]
Come on, get it out now. Keep it going!
McCaskill, big switch. It's there.
Endo tracks it down.
Endo in the box, in the corner!
[crowd cheering]
The lead now doubled, as Endo, in the books.
Yeah!
Well, it is an incredibly electric start for Angel City.
McCaskill does so well just to change it.
You can see the narrow shape of North Carolina.
You get out that weak side,
now there's green to run into,
and Endo just gobbles up that space.
And now she's still got work to do
because that's a difficult angle,
but she slides this one on the ground,
right past Rowland.
Jun Endo, her first NWSL regular season goal.
Angel City FC, starting off with a bang
in every way you could imagine here tonight.
♪ ♪
♪ Hey, hey ♪
Done a fucking great job of putting pressure on them.
The next five minutes of the half,
they are gonna come out with a lot of pressure.
So we need to think about just absorbing that pressure
by being really organized, really compact,
making it hard to play.
This is a brilliant, brilliant start.
It's a start. Let's finish the game.
Emily Gray, first NWSL start tonight.
Left footer, ball in the box, header!
Hello, North Carolina! Debinha scores.
[percussive pop music]
♪ ♪
If someone had told you at the beginning of this match,
"Okay, Angel City gets a 2-2 draw out of this
against North Carolina," you'd probably say--
- You'd take it. - Yeah, it's pretty good.
But at this point, to have held on for this long,
you think, oh, you want those full--
you need those full three points.
Honestly, I wanted to puke.
Like, I was so nervous.
It's way worse watching than being on the field.
But then, like, Jun was going off.
And I was like, oh, crap, we could be good.
We're going this way.
- Jen, do you wanna go? - I need a cowbell!
Yes!
[chanting]
♪ ♪
[crowd cheering]
Crowd sensing the moment is near.
[whistle blares] And it is here!
Angel City, spread your wings!
You've got a win in your first NWSL regular season game.
[cheers and applause]
Oh, my God! Oh, my God.
Genuinely one of the best days of my life.
[upbeat music]
We did it!
So good!
I was lucky enough to have a lot
of my friends and family in the stands.
They've seen my journey and how difficult it was at times.
My mom, who's passed away,
and what it would've meant for her to see me,
and she would've been proud.
So, it was unreal to have that achievement.
[laughs] Sorry.
We're a club for the community.
We're representing you guys.
We want you to feel a part of it,
and we want our win on the field
to feel like your win.
[crowd cheering]
There was just, like, so much excitement
that there was no way we weren't gonna win,
at least in our mindset.
I know what it's like to play in a packed stadium,
but the Angel City gameday experience
is just very unique.
It is wild and joyous.
It's about so much more than football,
and you feel that on the field.
players: AC!
all: FC!
players: AC! all: FC!
[all cheering]
It was--it was just--
You can't write it. You can't write it.
This--it's a Hollywood ending that nobody believes.
♪ ♪
What's up, Katelyn?
- How's it going? - Good.
Is it just us from the office that are on the call?
- Yeah. - No one else is here?
Each week, we'll do a gameday recap.
Like, what went well, what went poorly,
what could be better.
Should we be thinking about ways
of getting more people there more easily--
how to help outside of what we're already doing?
And then, you know, the pregame experience, right,
like, again, trying to hype up what they can do
in addition to the game?
- Like, what is our plan for, like,
that hit in, like, the dead of summer,
like, through September.
And let's assume that the team is not in contention.
- Yeah. - Right, so, like,
let's just, like, prepare for battle.
Okay.
All right.
Look, we want sellout crowds.
Like, we don't want it to be a one-off.
Like, it's incredible that we did it for a home opener,
but now the bogey is, I wanna sell out another game.
Right, and then I'm gonna wanna sell out another game.
It's, how do we create the experience for the fans?
How do we win on the pitch
that drives them to wanna come?
We have to keep raising the bar.
Today, they invited us to watch practice,
and I think that's really special.
I'd say a supporter supports is--
it's the ultimate fan, the ultra fan, really.
We have friends that-- sometimes we say fans,
not to be, you know, demean them or anything--
but, you know, showing up right at kickoff
going to the game, and then going home.
For us, it's an all-day thing.
It's an all-day event. It's an all-week event.
[crowd cheering]
Yeah, keep doing it. Keep making all that noise,
'cause we intimidate the--
out of other teams. [cheering, laughter]
And that's what we wanna have,
so, it's really appreciated
and honestly, it's the best atmosphere
that I've ever experienced on game day
and that the players have ever experienced, as well.
- Boom, boom. - FC.
AC, boom, boom. AC.
- Como están? - Bien!
[speaking Spanish]
- Thank you. Cheers. - Thank you so much.
- Appreciate it. - Hey, Coach.
So this is the actual flag
that we used to wave at the MLS games
to get first ever-- bringing the first--
I love it! The OG flag.
[chatter]
It's work. I mean, we wake up early,
and get ready for games, tailgates, I mean,
where they're not gonna play till 7:00,
but we're getting ready at 8:00 a.m.
to set up our tailgate, set up what we need to do.
And, you know, he's grilling tacos for hours.
[voice cracking] And, like, it's worth us supporting.
Like, we signed up to be supporters,
but I didn't think it'd be at this level,
like, where they appreciate it
and they show us that they really appreciate it.
So it feels good. [laughs]
The work is not for nothing.
People care, and they wanna know what you stand for,
and they wanna know how you spend your afternoon,
and they want you to show up as a full human.
I love that.
They're my fans, like, from my hometown,
and, like, I immediately felt, like, honestly,
some ownership over them, and, like,
that they had ownership over me.
You know, and I just felt that bond
that was, like, wow, like, I have said, like,
this is where I want to play for these people,
and these people actually, like,
campaigned for me to come here.
[chatter]
So much of what we do, we, like, give to the fans
and then, like, in return, I got, like, the best gift
of my life, to come home because of them.
And I really do feel like me being here
is because of the fans.
[chatter]
[speaking Japanese]
- As part of the strategy for us building a new team,
having an international team of players
that would reflect the community
I think was really key to what the vision
in what we're building.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
- May I wear it? - Of course.
- Thank you. - Jun Endo being
our first Japanese player
is gonna be massive for the Japanese community,
who are gonna come and pay tickets
to come and watch us play.
That conversation and strategy
is beyond Jun Endo on the field, right?
So, I have to think about a much wider lens for the club.
Okay. [laughter]
Yeah, there we go.
[laughter]
[chatter] [upbeat music playing on PA]
Let's go, Angel City! Whoo!
♪ ♪
7,900 so far.
Wow.
We're expecting, what, 19,000?
We sold 19,000, there's always--
- Oh, sold 19,000. - Well, we sold 19,000
first thing this morning, but there's always walkup,
and that could be-- we could be 300, 600,
800 more from walk-up.
And then you don't know how many people actually show.
I mean, this is already more than Washington had.
- 30 minutes from kickoff-- - I said today--
I said to someone today, "We start counting at 15,000."
They were like, "We would love 15,000 just once a year."
- We're almost at 16,000. - Julie, it's amazing.
- I know. - It really is.
[pop music playing on PA]
♪ ♪
- Hi! How are you? - How are you?
I'm obsessed with Jasmyne Spencer.
- Right? - I think she's, like--
- I love Jasmyne. - She's, like, MVP to me.
Like, I feel like she's just, like,
always where she needs to be.
Her progression over-- she's amazing.
Insane.
And my son's, like, all about Endo.
- Everyone is. - He's just like--
I mean, she's a star.
And then my husband's like...
- [laughs] - She moves it like--
he's like, "She moves like a dancer." [laughs]
I love it.
Press gets in behind guard.
Christen Press scores!
It's her first regular season goal
in an Angel City uniform.
Christen scored a brilliant goal,
and she's gonna keep scoring for us, I know it.
But I told her, even if she doesn't
we all still love her.
I went in with two minutes left.
But I got in, and I made it, and we won.
When I stepped on that field,
I was like, this is why I love it so much.
Everyone has each other's backs,
and it's bigger than soccer.
- It's over the wall and kept out from Haracic.
DiDi, fucking brilliant save.
Really good work. [applause]
[cheers and applause]
Slightly gets away, good recovery from Ball.
Press back to her feet, centering it,
and it's an own goal!
Just a hopeful ball from Christen Press,
last touched by Taylor Leach.
I got a raspberry.
- That's to remember it for. - Yeah, there you go.
- That was me for a minute. - Well done.
Wasn't pretty, but we did it.
- Yeah. - Good game.
[crowd cheering]
Just hold there. Just hold there.
Hold in that space.
♪ ♪
Yes! [crowd cheering]
[chatter]
One of our greatest strengths is who we are as a collective
and how hard we are willing to work for each other.
And I know that there's lots of stories about
the resilience of this group,
and it is what makes us who we are.
- Come on! - Go on, here,
go on, go on, go on, love it.
I was born in Bosnia.
April 6th, '92, there was a war.
Six days later, I was born.
We came to the U.S. in '94.
Both my parents worked multiple jobs
just to get food on the table.
Fuck!
It's okay.
I don't think people realize the grind.
My fault.
It took me four years to get a contract in the NWSL.
[grunts]
And a lot of people would've stopped.
I had something to prove.
May dates. May, may, may.
Welcome to my home.
- She has good fashion. - [laughs]
Yeah. I'm pretty sure this is her shirt.
We share all of our clothes, but--
The benefits of marrying a woman.
[laughter]
The day after a game,
your body feels like it got hit by a truck.
You run 13K, which is like 8 miles.
There's boots, and there's also hip things.
There's, like, full space boots.
Now that I'm 28 years old,
recovery takes a lot longer as you get older,
and it's even more important.
[upbeat acoustic music]
♪ ♪
- A lot of us go surfing on our off days.
We're in L.A., so when in L.A...
I wouldn't say we go surfing.
We go in the water with our boards.
I'm out.
♪ ♪
There's gotta be a dolphin out there.
Where there's fish, there's dolphins.
A little gameday surf.
That's a nice ritual.
Also, the feeling of when you catch a wave
and the adrenaline part is really nice.
There's an adrenaline part
which you get from football, as well,
and I think that part fuels me.
It's like the adrenaline of games
and the competition and wanting to win.
♪ ♪
I thought one of the really important points
was talking about we can be satisfied
in our life in Christ, but yet it's not--
that doesn't mean we're gonna have all the riches
and fame and glory and perfect life.
Yeah.
We all love playing soccer, and so many people do.
An op--like, the chance to be
a pro soccer player is literally nobody.
And so the fact of, like, we get to do this
and, like, God knows how much we love playing soccer
and he, like, lets us get to know him
through something that we love--
how cool is that? Like, that--that's really cool.
Soccer was a way for me to run away
from, like, pain at home, you know.
And I feel like I identified with it so hard.
And that's why I think still, to this day,
I struggle with it 'cause it's like,
I found my identity in myself as a soccer player.
It doesn't fill you up forever.
Yeah, it's just like, with my knee and everything,
I feel like, for me, it's been a little frustrating y'all,
but I appreciate, like--
I was gonna ask you guys to pray for me,
'cause it's been--plot's been getting real thick, y'all.
- Yeah. - It's been getting real thick.
Yeah.
From Portland, Oregon, it is the Thorns
and Angel City.
The in-swinger, the header is on, and it's in!
[crowd roars]
Splendid service!
An even better header.
And Portland takes the lead at home.
Sugita, Sinclair,
she went right through there!
Christine Sinclair, back to her goal-scoring ways.
Portland doubles its advantage
just minutes after the first.
They're running rampant at Providence Park.
Rolls it in, and Sinclair, and she just missed it.
Becky sends it back.
Sinclair, she won't miss twice.
And it's a brace for Christine Sinclair.
The fight is there from us.
That's there, but we just have to
make smart decisions on the ball now.
It's up to us now to raise that level
and then we go again, okay?
Let's go.
You realize this is the highest crowd
they've had in a game.
- Everybody plays up for us. - Yeah.
The fans come in, the players play.
It's great for the league,
not great for our record.
It's great for the league, not great for the record.
Right. It's great for the league, but yeah.
[phone line trilling]
Hi, Jules. It's Natalie.
- Hey, how are you? - I'm pretty good.
Game day minus one.
I know, I'm very excited for tomorrow.
We've got nearly 19,000 tickets sold for Saturday.
- That's so amazing. - Like, that's amazing,
but I've now challenged the team
to try to stay above 20,000 for every game
- because you just get no-shows. - Right.
And I think if we can stay above 20,000,
then if the no-show rate falls to 18,000
or, you know, 18,500, it still feels like
a really full stadium.
What was it like in Washington?
I was--on TV, it looked quite empty, but--
There was very clearly a sunny side
and a shady side.
The camera faces the sunny side.
- Oh, bummer. - Yeah. So I was sitting
on the shady side, and it felt like
the entire stands behind me were really packed,
and the sunny side was really light.
Aw. See, that's a really annoying thing
like, where you don't have enough cameras
covering the game, and it makes it look
much less popular than it is.
- That's so-- - Yep.
That feels like such an important detail.
Is there way we can be supportive
of other teams, too?
Like, can we push on our socials, like,
when it's game day for other teams
and, like ticket sales for other teams with our group?
You know, because we need, like,
everyone to be selling out.
Like, we need everyone to be having the same kind of vibes.
[light tense music]
Anyone who has worked in this space,
you're essentially doing two jobs at any given time.
You're doing the job that you are actually
being paid to do, which is cover the sport.
Then you are also doing a second job
of trying to justify your existence.
Men's, we get these-- the full narratives,
we get both sides, we get endless quotes,
we get all of the pomp and circumstance
that you should see around a sporting event.
And that's where it still needs to come into women's sports
and where we're maybe finally starting to make progress.
Let's say this is a four-camera shoot.
Normally, we've got half a dozen.
This would normally just be a handheld camera.
And we would have a large studio camera.
But this is a streaming show,
so, obviously, the budgets aren't as big.
We have to compete with the 4K,
beautiful depth of field NFL camera
that looks like a video game.
That is what a modern American sports consumer
expects out of a tier one product.
That is who we compete with.
The quality of the women's broadcast
is not the same as the men's broadcast.
We have fewer cameras, which means we have fewer angles,
and it's a real challenge.
We need the league to succeed
for all of us to succeed.
The biggest revenue streams by far,
for all of us at the team level
should come from the broadcast deal
that this league deserves.
I don't know if that's an obstacle or an opportunity,
but I'm never satisfied with status quo.
- I'm gonna get the DJ to play, like, Pride music.
- Just go tell her. - All right.
You guys all ready for game day?
[cheers and applause] Yes!
Unfortunately, we live in a world
where it's still important to make a statement
and show that this is okay, and it's unfortunate
that we have to do it during one month a year.
It should be every single month of the year,
it should be every single day where you feel comfortable
and confident in your own skin,
but until we get there, I think
days like this are important.
And showing up as loud and as proud as we can,
which we are, as an organization,
as the president/co-founder, I think is really important
for the community to see.
- Hi. How are you? - Hi.
Look at Cha Cha, he's killing me.
- Look at his hair. - Oh, my God, amazing.
What's that? [pop music playing over PA]
♪ ♪
We intentionally are building
a diverse and inclusive community.
We have a diverse staff.
We have a diverse front office.
We have a diverse team.
Legs and hips and the body. Uh.
Give it up for Lilly Singh! [cheers and applause]
What's up, Angel City fans?
Are you ready? This is our first ever Pride night
Make some noise for that.
[cheers and applause]
Now, everybody, here we go.
One, two, three.
[all clap, grunt]
- Let's go ACFC! - Whoo!
Okay, so tonight is all about pride
and it's about being our true selves.
We don't forget who we are, we move the ball well,
we play quickly, and we excite the crowd.
Tonight is about joy, tonight is about fun.
Let's make sure we're having it on the field.
Otherwise, what the fuck are we doing?
All right?
AC! all: FC!
♪ Running with the angels ♪
Ow! [laughter]
All right, standby three with CG2.
And take three with CG2.
[cheers and applause]
Angel City welcomes The Dash for the first time.
Houston looking for a sixth consecutive unbeaten game.
Two teams part of a very compact area
between second place and just beneath the playoff line.
One win could make all the difference.
[crowd cheering]
Falls, Schmidt, a laser! Denied by Haracic.
Welcome to the Save of the Week reel.
Still alive, Le Bihan, Endo!
There's a save, there's Press--
Oh, again, from Campbell!
It's unbelievable!
And The Dash clear their lines.
[crowd cheering]
The day before our Pride event,
a player--Katie Cousins--
reposted a post from a Tampa Bay baseball player
that wasn't comfortable wearing a Pride shirt
because it was against his own religious beliefs
and worked very hard to say,
"I'm not making a comment about the lifestyle,
but it doesn't align with my religious values."
The problem is he is making a lifestyle statement.
- One of the players from Tampa
made a statement saying,
because of religious beliefs,
we just--we chose not to wear this.
I think it was a patch and a hat.
But it's not to say that we don't love these people
and care for them and want them to feel welcome here.
And so I reposted it.
Pretty bad timing, looking back on it now.
And maybe if I'd known, like, the reaction,
maybe not at all.
'Cause I've never really been in the public eye
like this before.
I don't know. I never had--
I wasn't on the roster for the game, so--
I don't know. I was debating it,
and ended up not being on the roster, so--
When Katie posted, people were angry,
and people were hurt,
and it sent, you know, these ripples out.
[somber music]
♪ ♪
We did post a statement
about our commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion
and that our approach to these kinds of issue
and conflict was going to be to call in and not call out.
And I had somebody who I've never met
find my account and direct message me,
telling me I was a homophobe and an asshole.
We will not please everyone.
But it is important that we share broadly
what we're doing and how we're doing it
and what it means.
We do stand for something,
and it's a lens with which we make decisions
and it's how we build our organization.
So, there has to be a level of excitement for it.
Otherwise, why are you here, too?
Like, it's so much about what we do.
If it's so at odds with your own personal beliefs
or how you wanna live your life,
then why would you wanna be here when this is our--
these are our beliefs, and these are our values,
and we live them every day
and every decision we make is inclusive of these.
How'd you find this place?
We were walking around the promenade,
and we're like, dude, like, we really want tattoos.
Literally, to our right was a tattoo shop.
- And then we walked in... - Oh, God.
- And met the guys. - Oh, God.
- [tattoo gun buzzing] - Wow, you don't even flinch.
I think initially, when that post came out,
people were shocked.
I think that's always the initial reaction,
especially because
she is a great teammate and super positive,
and a lot of people are very close with her.
It just--it's put me in a very uncomfortable position
'cause I know who I am.
And I have no hatred towards Katie, and I know she
I don't think has hatred towards me.
But we just don't see eye-to-eye.
And I just have a hard time right now
accepting that I'm told I'm loved,
but I'm not accepted for who I love.
And that's a hard pill for me to swallow right now.
Yeah, I think the goal for me is to love Katie,
but to hope that she will wanna learn about it.
I asked so many questions,
and I have not received any questions back.
The word "dominate" has, like, a lot of meaning for me
'cause my brother gave me some advice
when I was-- like, four years ago,
when I was having a tough time after my mom passed.
It's like a warrior mentality of, like,
dominating your opponent,
dominating your diet, lifestyle habits, sleep.
And I write it for every game,
and it really, like, it lifts a spirit in my fire,
in my motivation for that day.
Yeah.
Equal pay is now a reality
for the best female soccer players in this country.
In an historic announcement today,
the U.S. Soccer Federation said it has agreed
with its men's and women's national teams
to pay them the same amounts for all games
and competitions.
[crowd cheering]
- Press with a header. It's a brilliant cross.
And Christen Press heads the United States in front.
We knew in 2019 that, like,
we were playing for equal pay.
In the stands, as we played,
they were chanting, "equal pay."
Like, it was so much bigger than the sport.
The United States of America.
And then, you know, we won the World Cup,
but we didn't win the lawsuit at that point.
So, then we had to go back and keep fighting.
[chatter]
Without the Women's National Team fighting
so hard for equal pay on their level,
we don't see the continued success
and growth of our domestic league.
I think a lot of their success
has shown up in the form of our CBA
for the league for this year.
We are about to sign
the collective bargaining agreement--
the historic moment for this league,
their first contract that so many people worked so hard.
- I was part of the CBA negotiations.
One of the biggest strides that we made was free agency.
A lot of players don't have a choice
as to where they go, and they can't leave situations
that aren't good for them.
Before the CBA, there was no free agency.
Even now, the free agency has come about,
you have to play in the league for seven years.
It's-it's too restrictive.
The best players are always, always going to
consider Europe, as long as they don't have
enough autonomy over their careers.
Free agency is huge.
The rest of the world has free agency, and it's the norm.
When only one party has the decision, it's toxic.
We have stories of players being traded
to, like, cover up misconduct.
It kinda puts us in really unhealthy environments at times
because we don't have any power.
It's either, you play for this club,
or you're not playing in the league.
Coaches are in control,
and that's where things get messy.
The fight for equal pay, helping the players union,
and then negotiating the CBA,
I feel like so much has changed.
I look forward to the day
when female athletes can just be female athletes.
And I know that that's not my role,
and that's not the role that I play in the story right now.
My role is to be a trailblazer
and fight for equality and fight for all the things,
and I'm trying to do my best in that role,
but looking forward to that day
when you can just play soccer.
Hey. How are you?
- Good. How are you? - Good.
Today, the team is meeting up at the office
to get the bus to go to the charter plane
that we got for them to fly to Louisville.
It's very difficult from the West Coast
to get to Louisville in a straight shot.
Look, at the end of the day,
I wanna position these players in the best possible way
so they can give their best on the pitch
and get those three points.
This is obviously a huge expense
and one that we didn't budget.
Certainly one that I will budget moving forward.
But it's the right thing to do for the players,
especially given the fact that this is the third game
in what'll be eight days.
Ain't no way.
♪ Smooth operator ♪
- ♪ Smooth ♪ - ♪ Smooth op-- ♪
[laughter]
♪ Smooth operator ♪
♪ Smooth ♪
♪ Operator ♪
♪ Smooth operator ♪
♪ Smooth ♪
♪ Operator ♪
♪ Coast to coast ♪
- ♪ L.A. to Chicago ♪ - Ah! Ahh!
- [laughter] - ♪ Western male ♪
♪ Across the north and south ♪
- ♪ To Key Largo ♪ - Go, ACFC!
Let's go! Let's go!
Whoo! Let's go! Let's go!
- High five! - Yay!
You gonna see Christen? All right.
[chatter]
Let's go, Angel City!
We're huge fans of Katie Cousins.
- Yep. - Yeah, we're cheering her on.
ACFC!
I grew up in a home where it was very religious
and very conservative,
and I was in the closet for 27 years.
So, I know that she made some mistakes,
but I think that as a community
full of love and diversity and inclusion,
we need to forgive Katie,
we need to love one another,
and let that message spread.
Share it with everybody.
Go, women. Go, gays.
Go, Angel City, ACFC.
Let's go, Angel City!
Let's go!
Well, Angel City's head coach, Freya Coombe
said that there's a lot of chemistry
with Press and with Endo,
and she wants 'em to play closer together.
And so it looks like they're going to shift
their formation a little bit to do just that.
Racing Louisville, up one.
Press, racing towards it.
Press scores!
The equalizer from Christen Press.
47 career goals.
Christen Press is the exact person
to get Angel City back on track tonight.
- Way to go, Angel City! - Press, one of the most
prolific goal scorers in NWSL history.
Yeah, Christen! That's your girl!
Let's go, Angel City!
Let's go, Simone!
Inside, Simone!
Cuts back, left-footed shot!
- Ohh! - The finish from McCaskill
against her former club.
- Let's go! - Let's go.
- So quiet. So quiet! - Great job! Let's go!
I love the buildup. Ekic does a great job.
Gets it right back. Fox to DeMelo.
Hit.
Now there's a player down for Angel City.
Appears to be Press.
Oof. There it is.
Ugh.
[somber music]
♪ ♪
It was really sad.
Like, you never wanna see a player go down on the field,
and you especially don't wanna see someone go down
holding their knee.
♪ ♪
I was watching from the sidelines,
and I didn't have a good feeling about it.
♪ ♪
I put her on my back and walked her to the locker room.
♪ ♪
We were both like, you know, it could be anything.
But in the back of my head,
I thought it was her ACL, for sure.
♪ ♪
Le Bihan to Charley, who's gonna get there.
What a ball!
But there's--it's dead quiet!
What's happening?
Press goes down, and now you got a PK to deal with.
Come on, Savy!
- McCaskill, got it! - Ohh.
A brace for Savannah McCaskill
and the potential knockout punch for Angel City.
[upbeat acoustic music]
♪ ♪
It was a pretty emotional
game with Christen going down,
and it's the first game we came back from.
They fought for that goal, and they deserved it.
You know, they've been fighting so hard.
- They needed that. - AC!
all: FC!
Whoo! [clapping]
Christen is a great advocate for players.
Her leadership and the voice that she has
and the weight that her voice carries--
that's definitely challenging,
missing her both on the field and off the field.
When Christen went down, you just knew.
Like, you knew it was bad.
And, I mean, she's so critical
to the offense of our team.
She is the community favorite,
and shows up for Angel City on and off the pitch.
She led the team in shots, she led the team in goals.
She is the marquee star.
She is the person they built around.
She is the L.A. native coming home to conquer all.
So when Christen Press went down,
they lose their scoring punch, they lose their whole offense,
they lose the focus of their attack
and they lose their marquee player.
How do you replace all that?
[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
♪ Feels like defeat ♪
♪ I hit the ground hard ♪
♪ They're counting me out ♪
♪ But I made it this far ♪
♪ 'Cause I'm a fighter, a survivor ♪
♪ When I fall, I'm a riser ♪
♪ This time I'll tell ya ♪
♪ This girl, don't you know she's a lifer ♪
♪ Ah, ah, ah ♪
♪ Let me catch my breath ♪
[singing in Spanish]
♪ I'm gonna get up, get up, get up ♪
[singing in Spanish]
♪ I'm gonna get up, get up, get up ♪
[singing in Spanish]
♪ I'm gonna get up, get up, get up ♪
[bright tone]