Angel City FC was hit with a bevy of sanctions Thursday after an NWSL salary cap investigation found the club violated league multiple league rules, the league announced.
Most notably, the NWSL said Angel City exceeded the salary cap by $50,000 for four weeks during the 2024 season. It also said Angel City entered into five side letters (i.e. secret agreements) with players that were essentially multi-year agreements not disclosed to the league. Those unreported excess benefits caused the team to go over the cap.
For those violations, the league said Angel City will receive the following penalties:
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A $200,000 fine
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A three-point deduction in the 2024 standings, effective immediately
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Suspensions for president and CEO Julie Uhrman and general manager Angela Hucles Mangano for the remainder of the 2024 calendar year, effective immediately
The NWSL also said it would be conducting annual investigations and audits into clubs to prevent further violations.
From the NWSL:
“The NWSL remains committed to maintaining fairness and transparency across all clubs, reinforcing the importance of adhering to established rules and upholding the competitive balance within the league.”
The three-point deduction amounts to an effective playoff elimination for Angel City. The club previously sat in 11th place on the NWSL table with a record of 6-4-12, but was bumped down to 12th place and just one point ahead of 13th place with the point deduction.
To make the NWSL playoffs, Angel City would need to win its remaining four games and have several teams skid to finish the regular season.
The sanctions add obstacles to what was already a transition year for the most valuable team in the league. Angel City announced in July a majority stake was being sold to Disney CEO Bob Iger with a valuation of $250 million.
Kari Anderson contributed to this report.