On Thursday, Angel City FC announced that it had parted ways with general manager Angela Hucles Mangano. Assistant general manager Matt Wade will serve as interim general manager while the Los Angeles club begins a search for a replacement.
The move comes just a few months after Willow Bay and Bob Iger purchased a controlling ownership stake in Angel City for a valuation of $250m.
“Angela's passion and commitment to Angel City runs deep. From day one, Angela has poured her heart into building something truly special,” said ACFC President Julie Uhrman in a statement. “From volunteering at community events to securing our initial home at Cal Lutheran University to pulling off one of the most important trades in our history, securing the number one draft pick in 2023, Angela has been instrumental in setting the foundation for our culture and purpose that defines us today."
Hucles Mangano originally joined the club as the VP of player development in 2021 before being promoted to general manager during the club's inaugural NWSL season in '22. She replaced Eniola Aluko.
Thank you, Angela.
— Angel City FC (@weareangelcity) December 5, 2024
📰 #AngelCityFC announces a mutual parting with General Manager Angela Hucles Mangano. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Angela. As a community and club, we sincerely wish her all the best for the future.
More information here: https://t.co/8JiYqLt7mF pic.twitter.com/UHsZvvME1Q
After missing the playoffs in 2022, Hucles Mangano made the bold call midway through '23 to fire head coach Freya Coombe after 11 matches. Under assistant coach Becki Tweed, Angel City stormed back up the standings in the second half of that season and made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
At the beginning of 2024, Hucles Mangano promoted Tweed to head coach, but Angel City retreated to 12th in the standings, eight points off qualifying for the playoffs.
In October 2024, Hucles Mangano and Uhrman were suspended by the NWSL for breaking league rules surrounding the salary cap. The club was deducted three points and fined $200,000.
During calendar year 2023, ACFC entered into five side letters directly with players that effected multi-year agreements. The payment in these side letters were not disclosed to the league.
These side letter agreements included a combination of compensation and benefits that were reflected in player contracts as well as excess benefits that were neither reported to the league nor included in the contracts. Due to these undisclosed benefits, ACFC exceeded the salary cap by approximately $50,000 for four weeks during the 2024 season.
In terms of roster building, Hucles Mangano made impressive youth recruitments of sisters Alyssa and Gisele Thompson, and U.S. youth national team star Kennedy Fuller. She helped to develop Mary Alice Vignola into a top NWSL fullback and executed a major international free agent signing, picking up Katie Zelem from Manchester United.
Injuries and a lack of depth were perhaps the undoing of Hucles Mangano's time in Los Angeles. In 2024, injuries to Jun Endo, Ali Riley, Merritt Mathias and Christen Press left Angel City short on experience.
This week, fans were also upset to see breakout rookie Madison Curry, who only signed a one-year contract last offseason, depart on a free transfer to Seattle Reign.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Angel City Parts Ways With General Manager Angela Hucles Mangano.
