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Angel City FC partners with Ritual as club continues to drive paradigm shift

Christen Press is Angel City’s first official signing (Photo courtesy of Angel City FC)

Angel City Football Club is teaming up with Ritual, the Los Angeles-based personal health brand which will serve as the club’s official protein through the 2024 season. 

The sponsorship is the first-ever for Ritual. For Angel City, it’s another unique partnership the expansion club has secured ahead of its debut NWSL season in 2022. 

According to Jess Smith, Angel City’s Head of Revenue, it all started with a phone call between the two California neighbors earlier this year.

“We had reached out as a LA-based company and just said, ‘Hey, we just want to get to know you,’” Smith says. “Then they were the ones that said, ‘Hey… we’re actually coming out with a protein product.’ That’s when it got super interesting.”

Launched in 2016, Ritual first made a name for itself as an online retailer of multivitamins and nutritional supplements for women. Earlier this year, the company announced a new protein powder called Ritual Essential Protein. 

Because Angel City won’t just be repping the brand but also using Ritual’s products in their training and recovery, an extra level of diligence was needed to ensure that the protein would positively impact player performance. 

“Anytime you can find high-quality products that are going to help serve our players, that’s very exciting,” says Angela Hucles Mangano, Angel City’s Vice President of Player Development and Operations.

“[It was important] from a brand and business perspective to have alignment there, but ultimately this is something that we want to be able to put in our locker rooms and be something that’s utilized by high-performing athletes.”

Angel City players will be using Ritual’s Essential Protein Daily Shake as part of their everyday training. The plant-based shake contains 20 grams of sustainably-sourced pea protein, as well as key essential micro and macro nutrients. 

“With the launch of our new traceable plant-based protein, we set out to challenge an industry and create a product that could both hold up to the standards that a professional athlete demands while also supporting people in their everyday routine,” says Katarina Schneider, Ritual’s Founder and CEO, in a release. 

“This partnership brings that mission to life.”

As with all Angel City partnerships, 10 percent of the sponsorship revenue will go toward a local cause. In this case, the recipient is Food Forward, a nonprofit organization bringing fresh surplus fruits and vegetables to people experiencing food insecurity in South California and tribal lands in Arizona and New Mexico. 

According to Smith: “[We asked ourselves], how do we focus on food recovery and how do we focus on making sure we’re utilizing the food that’s available in our local community?”

“Wanting to give back and serve has always been a part of our DNA at Angel City,” adds Hucles Mangano.

Angel City previously announced DoorDash as its front-of-kit sponsor in a partnership that will bring an estimated 250,000 meals to those in need. Another deal with Heineken likewise funneled 10 percent of revenue to the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

The club’s unique approach to partnerships is part of a broader mission to both re-define what it means to be a sports franchise and set the standard for a women’s soccer club. 

Because of its outspoken ambitions and aspirational vision — as well its various high-profile investors (including Natalie Portman, Serena Williams, Mia Hamm and many others) — Angel City FC finds itself in a unique and perhaps unprecedented position: Despite having yet to play a game in the NWSL, the club is already being considered a model franchise for its community engagement and big-picture mindset. 

It’s a position Smith embraces, acknowledging that Angel City is “not just another sports property.” 

“We’re a brand built on purpose,” she says. “We were derived from Natalie Portman having really honest conversations in the marketplace about how to make sure we’re doing our part to push [women’s soccer] forward for the athletes, teams and leagues.”

To Smith, part of pushing the sport forward means signing big-name sponsors to bring them into the space. Smith knows the interest (and money) is there. Now it’s about showing the rest of the world.

“Us generating this type of revenue, us having this type of partner portfolio that competes with the men’s teams — it shows leagues across the world, regardless of sport, that with the right plan and the right vision and purpose, the brand support is there. The consumers are there,” she says.

“People are watching and paying attention, and then we are actually able to make it actionable.”

The flurry of sponsorship activity speaks to the strength of the Angel City brand, its backers and its location in L.A., and comes even as the club has only one official player: USWNT star Christen Press, who was acquired from Racing Louisville FC in August.

Angel City will add more players in December during the expansion draft alongside fellow upstart San Diego NWSL. In the meantime, Freya Coombe has signed on to be the club’s first head coach. 

Hucles Mangano says it’s been “fast and furious” since she arrived in June with the draft on the horizon. A former professional player herself, Hucles Mangano won two Olympic gold medals with the USWNT and was also a founding investor with Angel City before stepping into the front office. Her focus, at the moment, is getting training facilities and equipment prepared while also ironing out internal processes and building club chemistry with the coaches and staff who are already in L.A.

Both Hucles Mangano and Smith know it’s a whole new era once the team takes the pitch. But that hasn’t stopped them or Angel City from wanting to change the game now.

In her role overseeing player development, Hucles Mangano is determined to create a holistic program that addresses players’ health both on and off the field. This involves not only partnering with nutrition companies like Ritual, but also building career development initiatives to help players capitalize on their platform. 

As proof of just how comprehensive her approach is, Hucles Mangano is already creating processes to help players transition out of the sport when they decide to retire.

All of it, Hucles Mangano says, is geared toward equipping players with the necessary tool box for them and the club to succeed.

“I liken it to when one part of the spoke is a little bit broken, or a little bit off — it affects the turning of that wheel,” Hucles Mangano says.

For Smith, the focus remains on creating innovative partnerships with big-name brands who are looking to invest in women’s sports. Angel City may currently be making a name for itself with its forward-thinking sponsorships, but Smith knows that fans’ attention will soon shift to the pitch. 

“Nobody even knew what our brand was two months ago,” she says. “Now we’re like, oh yeah, by the way, here’s Christen Press. And we’re also going to play incredible soccer. But in the meantime, here’s all the other things we’ve done.”

Smith believes those other things, including this Ritual partnership, will not only benefit Angel City but also open the door to greater investment across the NWSL. 

“Until someone’s done it, unfortunately, people don’t know it can be done,” Smith says. “The ‘see it, be it’ [idea] is at a different level with our organization. And I know a lot of us take pride in continuing that everyday.”

US Tennis Stars Advance as Wimbledon Field Narrows

Italy's Jasmine Paolini celebrates her first-round win over Latvia's Anastasija Sevastova at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
World No. 4 Jasmine Paolini fell in the second round of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships on Wednesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

The 2025 Wimbledon Championships wrapped its second round on Thursday, with the grass court Grand Slam seeing just 15 of the tournament's 32 seeded players advance to the Friday and Saturday's third round.

A full half of the WTA's Top 10 players did not survive the week, with 2024 Wimbledon finalist and world No. 5 Jasmine Paolini joining four first-round star exits by falling to unseeded Kamilla Rakhimova in a three-set, second-round battle on Wednesday.

At the same time, unseeded fan favorites like Japan's No. 53 Naomi Osaka and England's own No. 40 Emma Raducanu secured third-round spots at the London Slam, joining top surviving contenders like No. 4 Iga Świątek and defending Wimbledon champion No. 16 Barbora Krejčíková.

Notably, a full five US players managed to move ahead, tied for the largest national contingent still standing at the tournament.

Led by 2025 Australian Open champion No. 8 Madison Keys, the US group also includes No. 10 Emma Navarro and No. 12 Amanda Anisimova, as well as unseeded players No. 54 Danielle Collins and No. 55 Hailey Baptiste.

With matches against Świątek and No. 7 Mirra Andreeva, respectively, Collins and Baptiste have a tough third round ahead — though Navarro's battle against the 2024 champ Krejčíková arguably headlines Saturday's slate.

US tennis star Emma Navarro eyes a return during a 2025 Wimbledon match.
US star Emma Navarro will face 2024 champ Barbora Krejčíková in Wimbledon's Round of 32. (Rob Newell/CameraSport via Getty Images)

How to watch Wimbledon this weekend

While world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka is still holding strong in the dwindling field, this year's Wimbledon play is proving that the London Slam is anyone's to take, as the grass court humbles even the sport's top stars.

Expect the twists and turns to continue as tennis's best battle for spots in Sunday's Round of 16.

Round-of-32 Wimbledon play kicks off at 6 AM ET on Friday, with live continuous coverage of the tournament airing on ESPN.

Finland Opens Women’s Euro 2025 with Upset Upset Win Over Iceland

Finland's Katariina Kosola and Emma Koivisto celebrate a goal during their opening 2025 Euro match.
Finland earned a surprise 1-0 win over Iceland in their 2025 Euro opener on Wednesday. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

The 2025 European Championship is officially underway, as Euro action kicked off with a group-stage upset on Wednesday.

Though the 2025 UEFA tournament's opener was a sweltering affair amid a European heat wave, world No. 26 Finland prevailed, earning a 1-0 upset win over No. 14 Iceland in Group A.

Finnish winger Katariina Kosola played hero, curling in the winning goal in the match's 70th minute — just 12 minutes after Iceland midfielder Hildur Antonsdóttir picked up the competition's first red card.

"The result is important for our confidence," Kosola said after Finland's first major tournament win since the 2009 Euro. "It was the kind of goal I have been practicing a lot."

"It's terrible to lose and we feel frustrated," said Iceland head coach Thorsteinn Halldórsson. "It is an even group and we knew Finland were good, but our first half wasn't good enough."

Elsewhere, No. 16 Norway closed out Wednesday's slate on top of Group A, taking three points by defeating host No. 23 Switzerland in day's second match.

Led by captain and 2018 Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg — who pulled the match even with a second-half strike — Norway battled to a 2-1 comeback win, despite the Swiss side outshooting and out-possessing the Norwegians.

Spain jersey hang in lockers ahead of the team's 2025 Euro opening match against Portugal.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain will open their 2025 Euro account against Portugal. (Aitor Alcalde - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

How to watch this week's 2025 Euro action

Group B steals the 2025 Euro spotlight on Thursday.

While No. 13 Italy snagged a 1-0 opening win over No. 20 Belgium to kick off the day, 2023 World Cup champions and tournament favorite No. 2 Spain will face No. 22 Portugal at 3 PM ET.

Friday's Group C slate will pit No. 12 Denmark against No. 6 Sweden at 12 PM ET, before No. 3 Germany contends with No. 27 Poland at 3 PM ET.

Closing out the first group-stage matches will be arguably the toughest draw of the 2025 Euro pool.

Saturday's Group D slate features major tournament debutants No. 30 Wales against the No. 11 Netherlands at 12 PM ET, with No. 10 France taking on defending champions No. 5 England to cap the day at 3 PM ET.

Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches will air across Fox Sports platforms.

USWNT Caps Summer Friendlies with 3-0 Canada Shutout

Yazmeen Ryan, Michelle Cooper, Claire Hutton, Mandy McGlynn, and Izzy Rodriguez and the rest of the USWNT huddle after their July 2025 friendly win over Canada.
The USWNT finished the summer international window with 11 goals, conceding none, across three matches. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

The world No. 1 USWNT ruled the pitch on Wednesday night, shutting out North American rivals No. 8 Canada 3-0 to finish the international window on a high note.

Catching the Canada backline sleeping, US midfielder Sam Coffey opened the scoring at the 17-minute mark before 19-year-old Claire Hutton claimed her first-ever USWNT goal by heading in a Rose Lavelle corner kick in the game's 36th minute.

Houston Dash forward Yazmeen Ryan then padded the US tally in the waning minutes of the match, finding the back of the net just eight minutes after subbing onto the field.

Despite fielding a young roster, the US overpowered a veteran-heavy Canada side in almost every category, topping their Northern neighbors in shots, shots on target, possession, and — most notably — set pieces.

Canada ultimately couldn't match the game's mental pace or physical battle, as the USWNT scored all three goals off dead ball situations — a free kick, a corner kick, and a throw-in.

"It's not about the opponent," US head coach Emma Hayes said after the match. "It's about what we do, and I felt that was extremely dominant."

With Wednesday's contributions, the USWNT finishes the summer window with 11 goals scored across the three friendlies — and zero goals conceded.

The US now enters an extended break before reconvening for another as-yet-unannounced friendly series in October — but players will be expected to perform in the meantime.

"I said to the players in the end in the huddle, if you want to compete to win the biggest things, it's not what you do here that matters," said Hayes. "It's what you do when you go back to your club."

Seattle Storm Looks to Climb the WNBA Standings in Weekend Gauntlet

Seattle Storm star Nneka Ogwumike high-fives teammates as she's introduced before a 2025 WNBA game.
The No. 5 Seattle Storm will face No. 4 Atlanta and No. 3 New York this weekend. (Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images)

The 2025 WNBA regular season returns on Thursday night, with teams at the top of the league standings looking to prove their mettle against close competition across the long holiday weekend.

The No. 5 Seattle Storm have arguably the toughest weekend assignments, taking on the No. 4 Atlanta Dream on Friday before tackling the No. 3 New York Liberty on Sunday.

Four middle-of-the-pack teams will look to close in on a double-digit season win tally while the league's frontrunners strive to maintain their advantage in this weekend's slate:

  • No. 7 Las Vegas Aces vs. No. 8 Indiana Fever, Thursday at 7 PM ET (Prime): Though still without star Caitlin Clark, the Fever hope to harness their 2025 WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory momentum against an Aces side tied with Indiana with an 8-8 season record.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 4 Atlanta Dream, Thursday at 7:30 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): Seattle will look to make strides against a strong Atlanta side while putting last Sunday's stinging 84-57 loss to up-and-comer Golden State in their rearview.
  • No. 6 Golden State Valkyries vs. No. 1 Minnesota Lynx, Saturday at 8 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The rising Valkyries must face a Lynx side hunting redemption, as the league-leaders look to bounce back from their stifling Tuesday Commissioner's Cup upset loss.
  • No. 5 Seattle Storm vs. No. 3 New York Liberty, Sunday at 1 PM ET (CBS): With injured Liberty center Jonquel Jones still sidelined, the Seattle Storm will have a chance to steal a weekend game against the reigning champs, as New York struggles to re-find their footing.

With the 2025 WNBA All-Star break looming, early top performers must keep standards high if they want to hold the line when the season crosses the midway point.

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