Angel City Hires Mark Parsons As Sporting Director and General Manager | OneFootball

The next chapter of Angel City FC finally has a leader in the front office. On Wednesday, the Los Angeles club announced Mark Parsons as its new sporting director and general manager.

Parsons will take charge of all soccer operations, including the technical staff, scouting and analytics department, performance, nutrition and player care. He will report directly to ACFC co-founder and president Julie Uhrman.

"Mark brings exceptional experience in the domestic and global game," said Uhrman. "As we enter 2025 with the opening of our state-of-the-art 50,000-square-foot performance center, Mark will lead our sporting operations, driving our culture and championship ambitions alongside our outstanding leadership team and staff. Together, we aim to set a high standard for excellence—on and off the pitch—and we’re ready to bring home the championship in this exciting new chapter."

In July 2024, ACFC was purchased by Willow Bay and Bob Iger for an NWSL-record $250 million. Parsons is the first major personnel hire under the new ownership.

"It is an honor to become part of Angel City Football Club, a trailblazing and ambitious organization setting new standards in the game," Parsons said. "I am grateful to Willow, Bob and Julie for their trust and look forward to working closely with ownership and the exceptional leadership team to build on the solid foundation they’ve established.

"My focus is to foster a culture of excellence, development, and togetherness that elevates ACFC to new heights, with the goal of bringing championships home to the city of Los Angeles."

Parsons is an accomplished and trusted NWSL operator. After developing as a coach with Chelsea, he started his NWSL career with the Washington Spirit in 2013 before moving to the Portland Thorns in '16.

Over six incredibly successful seasons with the Thorns, Parsons won four trophies: An NWSL Championship (2017), two NWSL Shields ('16 and '21) and the Challenge Cup ('21). He is the only head coach to have lifted all three major NWSL trophies.

At the end of the 2021 NWSL season, the Englishman left the Thorns to become head coach of the Netherlands women's national team. After being eliminated in the quarterfinal stage of EURO 2022, he left the federation having coached 18 matches, winning 10.

In November 2022, Parsons returned to D.C. as the head coach of the Spirit for the '23 season. After going 7-9-6 and narrowly missing out on the playoffs by one point, he was sacked by Washington.

Parsons arrives in Los Angeles after a disappointing 2024 season for ACFC where the club finished 12th and missed the playoffs by eight points. In December, the club parted ways with GM Angela Hucles Mangano and head coach Becki Tweed.

Last October, Hucles Mangano and Uhrman were suspended from the NWSL for the year for breaking salary cap rules. ACFC had to endure a three-point deduction for the infraction as well.

Parsons's first task will be hiring a head coach. Then, the focus will be on evaluating the roster and moving the team back up the NWSL standings. With the likes of Alyssa Thompson and Christen Press, ACFC is not short on talent or star power. Roster balance and consistency have often held back the club from achieving more.

In the wake of the devastating fires in Los Angeles over the past week, there will also be an emotional component to the team's return for preseason and the start of the regualr season in March.

So far, 25 people have died, and 12,000 structures have been destroyed in the area as a result of the fires. Club captain Ali Riley's childhood home, where her parents were still living, burned down in the Pacific Palisades.