A Soccer Franchise Valued for Its Values
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Angel City FC (Photo Courtesy of Angel City FC)
AAPI countries and the Hawaiian Islands aren’t hotbeds of soccer talent. So, if a soccer club had a mandate to field a team with a roster that reflects the ethnic composition of Los Angeles County, reserving two or three slots for AAPI players on a roster of 22 would, at least on paper, read like the folly of good intentions. But on the field, the blend is incomparably wonderful.
Angel City FC (ACFC) of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is the ultimate outlier that triumphs with the word “inclusion” in its mission statement: “Together, we’re bigger than the game. ACFC is on a mission to build the fiercest, most inclusive community in the world.”
Chris Fajardo, ACFC Vice President of Community, states that a commitment to representation was a priority from the team’s inception in 2020 and its first season in 2022. After all, as of July 2024, the US Census estimates that 6.7 percent of Americans are Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander (AANHPI). The same groups represent 16.4 percent of Los Angeles County.
“We started with players and staff. We have seven players on the team that identify with some Asian heritage or roots.”
He is referring to players Ali Riley, Jun Endō, Hannah Stambaugh, Miyabi Moriya, Casey Phair, Alyssa Thompson, Gisele Thompson, and Kennedy Fuller. They have Japan, Korea, Philippines, and Vietnam coursing through their veins.
Earlier, Positively Filipino spotlighted ACFC teammates Alyssa and Gisele Thompson. Today’s pace of professional women’s soccer is fast; the Thompson sisters are even faster.
Gisele Thompson (Photo Courtesy of Angel City FC)
Alyssa Thompson (Photo Courtesy of Angel City FC)
AANHPI Heritage Night to Remember
On May 24, 2025, ACFC celebrated AANHPI Heritage Month during a game against Racing Louisville FC at BMO Stadium. On-field festivities featured a Japanese scarf dance, hula dancers, and to the delight of the 16,738 spectators in attendance, Tinikling—the national dance of the Philippines.
Isis Castillo sang the National ANthem during AANHPI Heritage Night (Photo Courtesy of Angel City FC)
Fajardo laments that ACFC cannot honor each Asian culture in its own heritage night like the neighboring Los Angeles Dodgers. “Unlike other sports where you have 80 matches in a full season, you only have 14 (home) matches this season.” He says, “We’re trying to be really intentional and how we create a space, which we celebrate so many communities in one night.”
Tinikling During Halftime (Photo Courtesy of Angel City FC)
A Team of Celebrities and Heart
ACFC started out lauded as the most valuable women’s sports team in the world with an ownership group that includes Disney Chair Bob Iger, his wife, journalist and USC Annenberg School Dean Willow Bay, actors Natalie Portman, Jennifer Garner (who was in attendance at the May 24th game), America Ferrera, and Eva Longoria, and singer Becky G. The organization is gaining prominence for its work in the diverse community of Los Angeles. A thrust of the AANHPI night was to publicize the team’s resource hub with web links to grassroots organizations like Stop AAPI Hate.
Angel City FC (ACFC) of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) is the ultimate outlier that triumphs with the word “inclusion” in its mission statement.
The special night fell a smidge short of perfect since ACFC lost 3–2 to Racing Louisville FC. On a bright note, Alyssa Thompson scored a goal on a penalty kick. While it was a feral hair-pulling incident that led to the penalty, it would be rash to draw any parallels between women’s soccer and women’s roller derby. The good deeds of ACFC off the pitch prove the civilizing effect of women’s soccer.
Staff Correspondent Anthony Maddela doesn’t fancy himself a sportswriter, though he’ll brush up on any sport that gives Filipinos opportunities to succeed.
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