The week of arrivals comes to a very climactic end today for Angel City FC, who seemingly saved the biggest move, for last. The club announced today they have acquired and signed United States Women’s National Team defender Emily Sams, who arrives in Los Angeles via trade from Orlando Pride. In exchange for Sams’ services, Angel City send $650k in intraleague transfer funds to Orlando, with Emily signing on with a contract that will keep her in LA through the 2028 season.
Welcome to LA, Emily!📰 #AngelCityFC has signed defender Emily Sams via a trade with Orlando Pride in exchange for $650,000 intraleague transfer funds.Today's roster update: https://angelcity.com/acfc-post/angel-city-football-club-signs-emily-sams
— Angel City FC (@angelcity.com) 2026-01-09T16:45:07.875223086Z
“Angel City is a club with ambition, purpose, and a clear commitment to excellence, and that’s what drew me here,” said Sams in a statement. “I’m excited for the opportunity to keep growing as a player in an environment that pushes standards and believes in winning, while staying deeply connected to its community. It already feels like a family, and I can’t wait to compete for championships in LA and play for the best fan base in the league at BMO Stadium.”
“Emily is a world class playmaking defender who brings important experience of winning an NWSL Championship to Los Angeles,” said ACFC Sporting Director Mark Parsons in a statement. “Emily is a true professional with high standards, and she will add to our team first culture while raising the standard of those around her. We believe our technical staff will be able to push Emily to another level and I am excited to see her impact on and off the field while competing for trophies in the coming years with Angel City.”
Sams was the third overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, and immediately made her presence felt finishing the season as the leading rookie in minutes played (1,977), shots blocked (18), and total clearances (73). She followed up an impressive rookie campaign by playing a huge role in Orlando’s historic season in 2024 where she helped them go an NWSL record 23 matches unbeaten, finishing the year as NWSL Shield winners and NWSL Champions.
She earned NWSL Defender of the Year honors for her efforts in 2024 as well as earning Best XI First Team recognition to go along with her NWSL Best XI selections for the months of May and September throughout that season. In 2025 Sams made 27 appearances with 24 starts for Orlando, logging 2,362 minutes with 37 interceptions, 14 blocked shots, 139 recoveries, winning 95 duels (65% win rate) and winning possession in the final third three times. With Angel City injecting a fair amount of young talent into the roster, Sams comes in as the best of both worlds as a player just scratching her prime while coming in with valuable NWSL experience and a winning history. This is definitely a move that lets everyone around the league know, Angel City are serious about making sure 2026 goes a lot better than previous seasons have.
Thoughts on the arrival of Emily Sams? Drop us a comment and welcome her to LA below!