WASHINGTON SPIRIT SIGNS TANZANIAN STAR CLARA LUVANGA

Standout forward inks four-year contract in transfer from Al–Nassr FC

Washington, D.C. – The Washington Spirit has signed Tanzanian national team forward Clara Luvanga to a four-year contract through the 2029 season, the club announced today. The striker is set to be the first player from Tanzania in NWSL history. As part of the move, the Spirit will pay a transfer fee to Luvanga’s former club Al-Nassr FC of Saudi Arabia’s top-flight Saudi Women’s Premier League.

“I am very excited to join the Washington Spirit and to take on this new challenge in the NWSL,” said Luvanga. “I know I am arriving with the season already underway, but I’m really excited to play in a new league and a new country. The team is in a strong position and I want to help in whatever way I can between now and the playoffs. Go Spirit!” 

Luvanga joins the Spirit after three illustrious seasons in Saudi Arabia. Upon joining Al-Nassr FC in 2023, the striker led her side to three straight Saudi Women’s Premier League titles, a Saudi Women’s Cup title, a Saudi Women’s Super Cup title and the 2026 WAFF Women’s Clubs Championship title. Individually, Luvanga earned the Saudi Women’s Premier League Golden Boot award this past season as the league’s top scorer with 24 goals. The 21-year-old also collected a hat trick in this year’s Saudi Women’s Super Cup final. 

“Clara adds an exciting new dimension to our attack as we head toward the playoffs,” said Sporting Director James Hocken. “Despite her young age, she has demonstrated the ability to score goals in different ways and has the profile to be very successful in this league.”

Originally from Tanzania on the east coast of Africa, Luvanga made her debut for the Tanzanian senior team in 2024. Prior to joining Al-Nassr FC in 2023, she competed for DUX Logroño in Spain after spending her youth development years with Tanzanian club Yanga Princess.

The Spirit will take the pitch at Audi Field next on Sunday, September 13 when the side hosts expansion side Boston Legacy FC. Kicking off at 1 p.m. EDT, the match will be Washington’s annual Spirit & Paws Day as the club welcomes fans and their furry friends. Tickets are available at WashingtonSpirit.com/tickets. 

About The Washington Spirit

The Washington Spirit is the premier professional women’s soccer team based in Washington, D.C. and plays at Audi Field in Buzzard Point. The Spirit was founded on November 21, 2012 and is an inaugural member of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) the fastest growing sports league in the US. The club is home to some of the best players in the world who have won championships for both club and country. For more information about the Spirit, visit WashingtonSpirit.com and follow the club on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

- Washington Spirit

AVERAGE FRANCHISE VALUATION BY LEAGUE

 

WILLOW BAY, DISNEY CEO BOB IGER TAKE MAJORITY STAKE IN ANGEL CITY

England ended their home summer unbeaten with a comfortable 20-run win over a struggling New Zealand at Lord's.

Angel City FC is now the most valuable women's sports team in the world following an agreement by Willow Bay and Bob Iger to purchase a controlling stake in the National Women's Soccer League franchise at a $250 million valuation.

Bay, the dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and Iger, the CEO of the Walt Disney Company, will become the new majority owners of the Los Angeles-based club, pending league approval and the closing of the transaction.

"I can't imagine a more exciting time in women's sports," Bay told ESPN. "It's actually an historic moment in sports and an historic moment for women's sports. It's just breathtaking and it's only the beginning of the ascent. I think to be part of the team, to be part of the future trajectory of this team, this sport and women's sports, is incredibly exciting."

Bay and Iger, who are married, will invest an additional $50 million into the club.

Their investment makes them the new controlling owners of Angel City, joining an ownership group that is otherwise unchanged.

The Walt Disney Company is the majority owner of ESPN.

Bay "will serve on and have full control of" Angel City's board, according to the team, and she will also represent Angel City on the NWSL's board of governors.

The transaction was unanimously approved by Angel City's board of directors and is expected to close in the next 30 to 60 days. Angel City's board will continue to include Natalie Portman, Julie Uhrman, Alexis Ohanian and Gillian Berry, according to the team.

In a collective statement, Angel City's board said Bay and Iger "bring unparalleled operational experience, expertise, and passion" and that "they are committed to further strengthening ACFC's position as a preeminent organization and brand in women's sports."

Bay said it was too early to share specifics on how the additional $50 million would be invested.

Angel City was founded by Portman, Uhrman and venture capitalist Kara Nortman.

Ohanian, who founded Reddit, was the club's previous controlling owner. Ohanian previously stated that he was not selling any shares in the team.

The club has enjoyed success since its founding in 2020 and its first season in 2022. It sold more than 15,000 season tickets before playing a game, in a league that averaged fewer than 6,000 fans per game the year prior.

The team frequently sells out BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, creating an "unrivaled" experience, as Bay describes it.

Still, facilities have been one of Angel City's challenges. BMO Stadium is one of the best venues in the NWSL, but Angel City is not the primary tenant and has battled issues that included the rescheduling of this year's home opener.

The team also remains at a temporary training facility in a different county.

"When we look at areas of opportunity, we certainly think player development and player support is on the list of priorities without question," Bay said.

Bay said that she and Iger have followed the team since its inception, and they frequently attend matches with their family. They also have personal connections to a robust ownership group that includes Billie Jean King among dozens of other celebrities.

NWSL valuations continue to rise. Angel City's sale comes a few months after San Diego Wave FC set a league mark for a two-part transaction that values the club between $113 million and $120 million.

Bay said she is excited to join the "breadth of experience" among the league's new owners at an important moment for the NWSL and women's sports.

She stressed that Angel City is only getting started.

"The momentum here is strong and sustainable," Bay said. "Angel City starts from an incredibly strong and, frankly, record-setting foundation of incredibly talented athletes, a passionate and committed fan base, and really strong ties to the community. We know that all of this is poised for growth."

RAPINOE BIDS FAREWELL AS RECORD NWSL CROWD, SPORTS GTREATS PAY TRIBUTE

USA TODAY Sports 

Megan Rapinoe received a hero's sendoff from a National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) record crowd of 34,130 on Friday, as the OL Reign stalwart played her final regular season home game, a scoreless draw against the Washington Spirit, in Seattle.

The twice World Cup winner, who helped form OL Reign's identity from its inception and spent the entirety of her 11-season NWSL career with the club, bid farewell at Lumen Field, the home stadium of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks.

"It just feels like home. It was always the safest place," Rapinoe, 38, said of her time in Seattle.

"This was just always the place where I could be myself."

TWICE US WORLD CUP CHAMPION ERTZ BOWS OUT

USA TODAY Sports 

Two-time World Cup champion Julie Ertz bid farewell to professional soccer with a 3-0 U.S. victory over South Africa in a friendly in Cincinnati on Thursday.

Ertz, a twice Female Player of the Year who played a key role in the team's World Cup winning campaigns in 2015 and 2019, was given an emotional send off with fans holding up messages of appreciation throughout the contest.