After spending her entire career in Europe, Katie Zelem is making the move to the U.S., joining Angel City Football Club.
Zelem, 28, signed with Angel City as a free agent through 2026. Zelem has spent the last five seasons with Manchester United.
“I knew I was ready for a new challenge. I’ve been in the WSL all of my career, aside from one season at Juventus, so I knew a new challenge was waiting, I just didn’t know where to be honest,” Zelem said in a video call. “I had a few options to stay in England, go to Europe or go to the U.S. … I’m a bit of a home-boat to be honest, I’m from Manchester, I live in Manchester, all of my friends and family are in Manchester, so when I heard from Angel City, I was like that’s a long way on a plane, so it took me a little bit of time to process and when I really thought about it, the pros definitely outweighed the cons.”
Zelem started her professional career with Liverpool (2013-17) and then moved to Italy with Juventus (2017-18). She returned home to Manchester United in 2018.
“Katie Zelem is a wonderful addition to our squad at the perfect time,” ACFC General Manager Angela Hucles Mangano said. “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 LA was palpable upon first communication. We are excited to welcome her.”
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Zelem should bring some stability to the Angel City midfield that has been under construction this season. Initially, the club decided not to re-sign Savannah McCaskill. Rocky Rodriguez arrived via a trade and Amandine Henry was traded in March to the Utah Royals.
“I like to get on the ball, I like to make things happen, whether that’s linking the defense to the attack or trying to help create goals,” Zelem said. “I think for me, I’m a technical midfielder. When I spoke to (Angel City FC coach) Becki (Tweed) she said that’s exactly what they were looking for. I’ve watched the team play a few times now and I think they create a lot of chances, just maybe not too many clear cut chances and I’m hoping that I’ll be able to help.
“I want to help create an identity within the team, we want to play a possession-based football, that’s what I’m hoping to contribute to.”
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