Last week, the NWSL announced disciplinary actions against Angel City FC for violations of “multiple league rules”. According to the league, Angel City went over the salary cap “by approximately $50,000 for four weeks during the 2024 season”. Contributing to the salary cap overage were five “side letter” agreements with players which included some “excess benefits that were neither reported to the league nor included in the Standard Player Agreement”. The disciplinary actions announced by the league include a $200,000 fine, a deduction of 3 points in Angel City’s league standings, and partial suspensions for two members of Angel City’s front office: President/CEO Julie Uhrman and the general manager, Angela Hucles Mangano. (All quotes in this paragraph are from the league’s press release, which is reprinted later in this post.)
The NWSL’s disciplinary actions against Angel City should not be viewed as just for violating the salary cap. More significantly are the conclusions that Angel City failed to properly report the side letter agreements to the league.
The league’s press release is worth quoting in full:
NEW YORK (October 3, 2024) — The National Women’s Soccer League has concluded an investigation into a salary cap violation by Angel City Football Club and is imposing disciplinary actions based on the findings.
Following a thorough review, the NWSL has determined that ACFC violated multiple league rules. Key findings from the investigation include:
- During calendar year 2023, ACFC entered into five side letters directly with players that effected multi-year agreements and were not disclosed to the league. These agreements included a combination of compensation and benefits that were reflected in the Standard Player Agreement and excess benefits that were neither reported to the league nor included in the Standard Player Agreement.
- Due to these undisclosed benefits, ACFC exceeded the salary cap by approximately $50,000 for four weeks during the 2024 season.
The NWSL is committed to upholding the integrity of its salary cap and player compensation rules. As such, the following disciplinary measures will be implemented:
- ACFC will be fined $200,000.
- A deduction of three (3) points from ACFC’s 2024 standings, effective immediately.
- Julie Uhrman, President and CEO, and Angela Hucles Mangano, General Manager, are suspended, effective immediately, from conducting duties relating to any player transactions for the remainder of the 2024 calendar year.
In addition, the NWSL will be conducting annual investigations and audits of player spending across clubs to ensure compliance with league rules.
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.
According to Jeff Kassouf (x.com), per multiple sources, $200,000 is the maximum fine amount that the NWSL Commissioner can issue “unilaterally” (presumably without the approval of the NWSL Board of Governors).
No additional details regarding the salary cap violation were disclosed by the league, Angel City FC, or other sources, so the mechanics of how and when the overages occurred are not known. (The most recent salary cap rules were published in the 2023 NWSL Competition Manual. Taylor Vincent wrote up a short explainer for The Equalizer last year. )
Angel City’s intentional misconduct should be contrasted with lesser forms of exceeding the salary cap, such as innocent accounting errors or underestimating future cost of living adjustments (COLA) due to unexpectedly high inflation. If this was one of the lesser examples, the temporary bans from player transactions would be excessive punishments.
Additionally, the official silence from the Angel City organization regarding the disciplinary actions is disappointing. Since the league published the above press release, the club has not released a relevant statement, whether via social media or its website. Also, when the news broke, Angel City declined comment to The Athletic. A prompt statement of acknowledgement and contrition, combined with an apology to the club’s fans, would have been the proper professional response.
In the above press release, the league stated that it “will be conducting annual investigations and audits of player spending”, which could uncover potential salary cap violations by other clubs and may precipitate voluntary reporting of any actual or questionable misconduct.
The points deduction, which reduced Angel City’s league standings from 22 points to 19 points, did not remove the club’s chances of making the playoffs this season, but it did make their path even more challenging. Angel City won its road match against the Seattle Reign on Friday, so it was not eliminated over the weekend.
Essentially, to make the playoffs, Angel City needs to win all three of its remaining matches and hope for favorable results. If Angel City wins out, it will be on 31 points, and will be guaranteed to finish above the Utah Royals, the Seattle Reign, and the Houston Dash. Angel City cannot surpass the Chicago Red Stars, who are already at 32 points and should make the playoffs. The top five teams — Orlando Pride, Washington Spirit, Gotham FC, Kansas City Current, and North Carolina Courage — have already clinched spots in the playoffs.
Angel City’s main competitors for the remaining three quarterfinal spots are the Portland Thorns (currently on 28 points with a -2 goal difference), Bay FC (also currently on 28 points, but with a -10 goal difference), Racing Louisville (currently on 25 points and a -2 goal difference), and the San Diego Wave (currently on the same points, 22, as Angel City, but with a better goal difference of -8, compared to -10 for Angel City).
Two weeks before the disciplinary action was announced, Angel City hired a new assistant manager, Mark Wade, who hails from England and most recently worked in the Netherlands for Feyenoord Rotterdam as its “Head of Sporting Strategy”, which covered both its men’s and women’s teams as well as the club’s academy. (ACFC website: press release, Q&A with Wade) With the partial suspensions of Uhrman and Hucles Mangano, Wade will likely be the point person for handling re-signings and other player transactions for Angel City until the start of 2025.
Women's Soccer Express 