Angel City FC/USA Forward Christen Press reacts to a Lineman’s call during a match against NJ/NY Gotham FC on May 29, 2022. (Photo by Noel Danseco via Instagram)
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Up the coast, in the City of Angels, there is optimism the team will be able to win right out of the chute, and roster building has been aggressive. The club has already been to the international market to land attacking players Stefany Ferrer Van Ginkel and Jun Endo, as well as Canadian defensive stalwart Vanessa Gilles. They also acquired Savannah McCaskill to run the midfield and Christen Press to lead the charge up top.
“Everyone’s coming from different teams, different cultures, so we’re all in the same boat with that,” said Cari Roccaro, acquired from the North Carolina Courage, where she won two NWSL Championships. “Everyone is new, so we’re trying to figure out how to create a culture together based on where we’ve all come from. Overall, everyone’s really excited. Because we’ve all come from different places, there’s a lot of levels people are at rest-wise or fitness-wise. But the staff is doing a really good job taking that into consideration and trying to get us all in one line.”
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While Angel City has put together a solid roster, two elements stand out. One is that management has taken strides to make players comfortable by keeping the number of players in camp below the league roster limit, and by declaring no players will be traded during the season.
“I have been in preseasons where there has been like double the roster,” Roccaro, who was cut by the Houston Dash in 2018 at the very end of preseason, said. “The feelings you get of, ‘Am I going to make the team? Are they going to cut me tomorrow?’ Those can really affect how you play. To feel secure here, for them to say on day one, ‘We brought you here for a reason, we know you wanted to be here, it was a mutual decision on both ends for everyone to come here and represent Angel City and you should feel secure and we’re not just going to throw you to the curb tomorrow…’ I think that puts people in the best position possible to be free, play free, and that’s a huge thing for players.
“People do have to worry in NWSL. It’s cut throat, and it’s a business. They’re doing things different here. It’s lovely.”
