Latest news with #AlexStraus
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Angel City's veterans can help shape the team
Head coach of ACFC, Alex Straus, talks to Meg and Tamerra about the important role veterans can play in shaping the team's evolution.
New York Times
21-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Angel City FC moves into ‘new era,' signing Iceland forward Sveindís Jónsdóttir through 2027
Angel City FC has signed Iceland women's national team forward Sveindís Jónsdóttir through 2027. Speaking to The Athletic before the announcement, Jónsdóttir said she was drawn to the talent on the Los Angeles team and to the high level of competition across the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Advertisement 'This team can do something really cool and great, and I'd love to be a part of it,' she said. 'It's in LA, that's amazing as well. I've been there once, and I loved it. I'm excited to live in a new place.' The 23-year-old free agent will join her new team this summer from Wolfsburg in Germany, where she scored 22 goals and recorded 16 assists in 93 competitions over four seasons. Wolfsburg were Champions League finalists in 2023, falling to Barcelona 3-2. Angel City sporting director Mark Parsons said the club's ability to sign a young star of Jonsdottir's quality reflects the magnitude of the club's growth. 'Angel City is moving into a new era,' he said. 'The first significant moment was hiring (incoming head coach) Alex Straus. Another is that Sveindís accepted Angel City's offer over top clubs.' Parsons added that while he's excited about the on-field qualities Jónsdóttir will bring to the team, he's 'most excited for the NWSL, that a top talent at a young age, who's played in the biggest games on the biggest stage, is choosing Angel City.' Jónsdóttir could add another weapon to Angel City's already lethal attack alongside forwards Riley Tiernan and Alyssa Thompson, who have scored five and four goals this season. Tiernan is tied for second in the NWSL Golden Boot race, behind Gotham FC's Esther González on seven. When they began the recruitment process, Angel City staff presented Jónsdóttir with their perception of her qualities and how they planned to further develop her as a player, Parsons said. 'Her ability to run in behind, go one-v-one, manipulate space, press and counterpress, and her movement in the box when she's waiting for the pass or cross, where she explodes and gets a critical touch,' he said, were among the traits the club is most excited about. Jónsdóttir recently shared a pitch with Thompson, though on opposing sides, last October when the U.S. women's national team took on Iceland in a pair of friendlies. The U.S. won both times, and Jonsdottir easily recalls Thompson's impact. Advertisement 'She's just a great player, so young, but you can see how talented she is,' she said. 'She scored an amazing goal, cutting in and shooting with her right foot, top corner. I'm really excited to play with her.' Jónsdóttir is also looking forward to playing for Straus, a manager who led Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg's biggest rival in the Frauen Bundesliga. 'It's quite funny. I'd already been talking to Angel City and I was trying to decide what I wanted to do, and then I saw that he's gonna be the coach, and it made me more excited about Angel City, knowing how well he's done for Bayern,' she said. Before Straus joined the German side in the summer of 2022, Wolfsburg were the 2021-22 champions and were the better team, Jónsdóttir explained. 'Then he came and changed Bayern,' she said. Bayern won their third consecutive Frauen Bundesliga title this year. 'I'm super excited to be one of his players this time,' she said. 'I know his style of play. He can make every team look good and play well. It made my choice even easier.' Pending the completion of international transfer paperwork, Jónsdóttir will officially join Angel City after the conclusion of the women's European Championship in July, where she will compete with Iceland against Finland, Norway, and hosts Switzerland in the group stage.
