PARIS — Katie Zelem and Claire Emslie were supposed to get together in the French Riviera this summer at the wedding of former teammate Caroline Weir.
“We were both bridesmaids,” said Zelem, the former captain at Manchester United. “But Claire couldn’t go because Angel City had a game.”
So the two World Cup veterans decided to reunite in Los Angeles instead, with Zelem signing a free-agent contract with Angel City that will keep her in the NWSL through 2026.
“The NWSL obviously speaks for itself. It’s one of the most competitive leagues in the world,” Zelem said. “I had different options and that was to stay in England, go to Europe, go to the U.S. And for me, Angel City shows huge ambition of where they want to go.
“They’ve got a project that they want to build on. And it’s just so exciting to be involved in.”
Zelem, a Manchester native, made her professional debut for Liverpool at 17 then played a season in Italy with Juventus before returning home to play for United in 2018. She was named team captain ahead of her second season there and went on to score 32 goals and notch 46 assists in 161 appearances in all competitions.
Zelem, 28, is the sixth European national team player to sign with Angel City and she could fill the gaping hole in the team’s midfield created by the departure of Savannah McCaskill, who led the team in goals in each of its first two seasons before leaving as a free agent last winter.
This season no midfielder has more than a goal in NWSL play for Angel City (4-9-3), which will return from the Olympic break on Aug. 24 in 11th place in the 14-team league table, three points and three places below the playoff line, with 10 games to play.
“Katie Zelem is a wonderful addition to our squad at the perfect time,” Angela Hucles Mangano, Angel City’s general manager, said in a statement. “She has honed leadership skills at high levels as the captain of Manchester United, is a skilled midfielder with an elite-level football acumen, and her desire to bring championships to L.A. was palpable upon first communication.”
Zelem, who made two appearances for England in last summer’s World Cup, said she’s been talking with the club for weeks.
“It went back and forth,” she said. “Obviously, it was a huge decision for me. I live in Manchester at the minute, and all my family and friends are in Manchester. So for me, the 11-hour flight is a lot different to see my parents.
“Angel City were really patient with me and let me know how much they would support me. So that made it a lot easier.”
So did the push from Emslie and forward Christen Press, who played 14 games with Manchester United before signing with Angel City before the team’s first season.
“They both give me some nice insights into Angel City. What they’re working towards, what they have now,” she said. “They definitely said that the lifestyle is very different to Manchester.”
Angel City, which was reportedly working on a couple of other deals in addition to the Zelem signing, has until the end of the month to get those done. The NWSL secondary transfer window closes on Aug. 30.