The National Women’s Soccer League is expected to announce a new franchise in Los Angeles today. The Los Angeles team will include a variety of celebrity owners, including former U.S. women’s soccer players Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Julie Foudy, Joy Fawcett, Angela Hucles, Tisha Hoch, and Saskia Webber.
Also among the reported ownership group are Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, Serena Williams, and Natalie Portman. Neither of the Los Angeles-based Major League Soccer teams are expected to have a major role in the team.
It is expected to launch in 2022, which would likely make it the NWSL’s 10th team after recently announced Racing Louisville FC, which will join the league in 2021.
Under new commissioner Lisa Baird, the NWSL has looked to bring in new expansion groups to go alongside new deals with brands like Google and P&G, as well as its new media rights deals with CBS Sports and Twitch. The opening match of its Challenge Cup tournament averaged 527,000 viewers on CBS last month, setting a new record for the league.
