NWSL Angel City FC

Angel City Football Club Extends Contract with Team Captain and Defender Ali Riley

Published on June 29, 2023 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Angel City FC News Release


LOS ANGELES - Today, Angel City Football Club (ACFC)announced that team captain and defender Ali Riley has agreed to a contract extension through the end of the 2025 NWSL Season. Riley joined the team in December 2021 via a trade with the Orlando Pride. She was named team captain ahead of the club's inaugural match in April 2022.

"This is my home. Being at Angel City is more than my job. It is my life. Angel City is me," said Riley. "I identify so much with the club. I feel so privileged and motivated. I get so much energy being a part of this club because this is more than soccer. It is about community, love, belonging, inclusiveness, equity and support - all of these things that mean so much to me. Having a contract extension like this shows the club's investment in me. To have this kind of security in my life, I can give even more and be able to be home for the foreseeable future."

"There are so many things that I want to achieve at this club. I want to win a championship. But most importantly, I want us to get to the point where all of our performances on the field match the support we get from our fans, our Supporters, and my family," Riley continued. "I now have more time to achieve these dreams and I am so excited and so committed. To have the club committed to me in return, I know in my whole heart that this is where I am meant to be."

"Ali has been a leader on and off the field since the beginning of this team," said ACFC General Manager Angela Hucles Mangano. "She wears her captaincy with pride and gives it everything she has every time she steps onto the pitch. Her dedication to this club, her hard work, and incredible desire to be here for years to come is what made the decision to extend her contract important for her and for this entire organization."

Riley, who recently reached 50 career NWSL match appearances, has been ACFC's team captain for the past two seasons, totaling 2,320 minutes on the pitch in 31 appearances. She scored her first two NWSL career goals and assists in the club's 2022 inaugural season.

In 2020, Riley signed with the Orlando Pride prior to the 2020 season, ultimately making her NWSL debut for the Pride during the 2021 Challenge Cup due to COVID-19. She appeared in 20 matches for the Pride, totaling 1,550 minutes.

Before entering the NWSL, Riley spent six seasons (2013-2018) in the Damallsvenskan, Sweden's women's professional league, winning five consecutive titles before heading to Chelsea FC Women of the FA Women's Super League (2018), scoring two goals in 16 appearances for the club.

In 2018, Riley would head to Germany to play with Bayern Munich (2018-2019) of the Frauen Bundesliga before being loaned back to the Damallsvenskan, where she would suit up for FC Rosengård (2019-2020), scoring one goal in 18 matches.

Riley was originally selected as the tenth overall pick in the first round of the 2010 Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) Draft by FC Gold Pride, where she helped the club win the 2010 WPS Championship, earning WPS Rookie of the Year with three assists in 24 appearances.

After spending one season with FC Gold Pride, Riley signed with Western New York Flash in 2011, where she appeared in 16 matches for the Flash, helping them win a WPS Championship as well. She finished as a finalist for the 2011 WPS Defender of the Year.

Originally a Los Angeles native where she was a stand-out high-school soccer star at Harvard-Westlake Academy in Studio City, CA, Riley attended Stanford University where she earned All-Pac-10 freshman team and All-Pac-10 second team selections her freshman season. She also starred for the New Zealand National Team during the 2008 Beijing Olympics before returning to Stanford for her senior season, earning the title of Pac-10 women's soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, All-Pac-10 first team, and Pac-10 All-Academic first team.

Riley has been a member of the New Zealand Women's National Team since 2007, scoring two goals in 152 career caps. She has served as captain of the team since 2017, and can potentially be named to her fifth FIFA World Cup roster in upcoming weeks.

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