It seems as though Angel City just cannot stay out of the headlines. In the week leading up to Decision Day, Elizabeth Eddy, who has logged zero minutes and only made the bench twice in the 2025 season, published an op-ed in the New York Post calling for the league to implement transgender and intersex exclusionary policies in the name of player safety.

There has been a massive wave of anti-trans rhetoric and legislation across the globe in the past few years. Part of that has been the focus of far-right movements on barring transgender folks, particularly trans women, from participating in sport because they are “dangerous” and threaten “fairness” in sports. These attacks are not only harmful toward people who actually identify as transgender, but cisgender or intersex women who do not fall neatly into the boxes that categorize white, western, female beauty standards. As per usual, people’s misogynoir pops out when it comes to these matters.

Last year, Orlando Pride and Zambian international player Barbra Banda attracted a slew of transphobic and racist abuse after being awarded the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year award. Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists (TERF) and anti-trans activists were up in arms online claiming that Banda had previously been banned from competing having failed “gender verification tests.” A couple of quick Internet searches would tell anyone that this isn’t true. The thumbnail for Eddy’s op-ed featured not just a photo of herself in an Angel City kit, but a photo of Banda. The attack is clear and obvious and the fact she would use the club’s name and crest to peddle this drivel is insulting to her teammates, the club, the league, and fans alike.

Angel City is not a perfect organization. Far from it. However, I do feel like their values around diversity and inclusivity are genuine, even if they are not always executed perfectly. The Los Angeles side has also compiled one of the most diverse rosters and typical starting XI’s across a variety of identities, at least in the time I’ve been following the team. Black women and queer women have always been celebrated at the club. Angel City’s recent signing of Zambian international Prisca Chilufya, a player who has discussed the challenges of being an intersex woman, makes the timing of this op-ed even more distasteful. 

Even without any additional context about Angel City, Eddy’s attempt at jump-starting a post-playing career far-right grift is absolutely disgusting. Eddy’s contract is up at the end of the 2025 season. She has made six regular season appearances in her time with the club since 2023. This season she has logged zero minutes and has only even made the bench twice. Angel City put out a pretty weak, non-specific statement regarding the piece, likely to avoid the possibility of any sort of legal action against them, but still nonetheless disappointing.

Captain and Vice Captain, Sarah Gorden and Angelina Anderson, however, addressed the situation eloquently in a press conference. They acknowledged the hurt and harm caused by the racist and transphobic undertones of the op-ed and stated that the players do not agree with what was written. The situation is so messed up on so many levels, but I’m proud to support a group of players who will take a stand for what’s right and speak up on behalf of others.

If you were wondering, there are currently zero players in the NWSL that identify as transgender. The hysteria around transgender athletes is a fake problem. Where were all of these people who supposedly care about safety and fairness in women’s sport when the Yates Report came out? The investigation published in 2022 that led to the ban or suspension of 12 individuals in Head Coach, Assistant Coach, and General Manager roles throughout the NWSL for their role in continuously subjecting players to toxic working conditions including sexual misconduct, as well as emotional and verbal abuse. Are these “activists” supporting the WNBA players in their fight for a Collective Bargaining Agreement that adequately values the athletes? What about calling for better conditions for national teams that practice on terrible pitches, eat measly meals provided by their federations, get paid $5 per day while in camp, or have abusive predators in positions of power. These are the real safety and fairness issues that female athletes face. Transgender athletes pose no threat to women’s sports. Full stop.

So this was the trash that the team was having to deal with on top of preparing for their final match of the season. Whether this contributed to the 1-2 loss to the Chicago Stars on Sunday or not, it was a pretty classic Angel City fumble to end the 2025.

Evelyn Shores and Macey Hodge were ruled out for the match which resulted in Head Coach Alex Straus having Megan Reid slot in at left center back position.

The first half wasn’t horrible. Their press was aggressive. Gisele Thompson had acres of space to play with on the right flank. Players were getting forward. There was some interesting interplay between the front three. They scored a goal! Nealy Martin hit a great cross to Miyabi Moriya who brought the ball down nicely to slam it past goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. They kept the pressure on and controlled the half only allowing one shot on target.

The second half was another story. The Stars came out willing to get wider and go more direct. Everything positive was generated through Jameese Joseph who scored the equalizer and set Ally Schlegel up for the game winner in stoppage time. Chicago managed to pull Angel City’s backline apart, and they could not figure out a solution. Chaos in the back led to giving up a lot of free kicks and some good chances, while Angel City were not clinical with theirs. It was messy and discouraging to watch as the Stars earned their first win of the season when they were trailing at the half.

I’m not sure there’s much to take from this match. They were already out of the playoffs. Playing only for pride. On BFFR with Ali Riley, Gorden implied that due to the many ups, downs, and changes that occurred this season, she and others were feeling emotionally exhausted. It is unfortunate that they weren’t able to end on a high for Christen Press and Ali Riley’s final career matches. However, another wave of changes are upon Angel City as they enter the offseason. Many players are about to move on leaving space for new players to come in to better execute Straus and Sporting Director Mark Parson’s desired style of play. It might be cope, but I’m reserving my full judgement of this new sporting direction until next season.

Once the disappointment has settled and the numbers are in, I will be taking a look under the hood of Angel City now that their NWSL 2025 season is officially over. Until then, I’ll be following the upcoming playoffs.

**Images courtesy of Angel City