Angel City gained 3 points and was fined for salary cap violation

Angel City FC has been fined $200,000 and deducted three points from the 2024 rankings after a National Women’s Soccer League investigation revealed salary cap violations, the league announced Thursday.

Team president and CEO Julie Uhrman and general manager Angela Hucles Mangano have also been suspended for the remainder of 2024 from performing duties related to player transactions.

The penalties are the most severe in the history of the competition for a sporting violation. The three-point deduction drops Angel City to 12th place and nine points outside the play-offs with four games left to play.

The violations stem from the fact that Angel City FC “entered into five side agreements directly with players who entered into multi-year agreements and were not disclosed to the league” in deals executed in 2023, compensating them beyond what is stated in their contracts the competition was reported.

According to the NWSL, the undisclosed benefits put Angel City over the salary cap by approximately $50,000 for four weeks during the 2024 season.

“The NWSL remains committed to maintaining fairness and transparency across all clubs, reinforcing the importance of adhering to established rules and maintaining competitive balance within the league,” the NWSL said in a news release.

Angel City FC did not immediately respond to ESPN’s request for comment.

In addition, the NWSL said it will “conduct annual investigations and audits of player spending at clubs to ensure compliance with league rules.”

ESPN’s anonymous general manager survey, released last month, found near-unanimous agreement among teams that teams aren’t playing by the rules. Several general managers pointed to salary cap violations and side compensation as major problems in the league.

“No. People cheat and they cheat on the salary cap,” said one general manager. “We have a view of the salary cap and I know what players need to get paid in the league, and I see what they get paid (elsewhere) and that is not possible. … We have traded players before and as part of “We’ve heard from the trade that they’re getting different money than what’s in their contract, so that’s an indication that other teams are doing it too.”

“People have different ways they can give players money and I think that’s probably the biggest thing front office people do,” said another GM.

In 2021, before playing a game as an expansion team the following season, Angel City was fined $40,000 for tampering while attempting to sign a player from another team.