Angel City has signed highly decorated midfielder Amandine Henry to a three-year contract. Henry, who captained France to the quarterfinals of the 2019 Women’s World Cup, is expected to join the team later this month.
“Amandine is a player who has competed at the highest and most competitive levels,” ACFC general manager Angela Hucles Mangano said in a statement. “She has led for both her club and country. Her quality of football performance and commitment to the success of our team will make her an invaluable part of our roster.”
A graduate of the prestigious Clairefontaine academy, Henry, 33, joined Lyon as a teenager and, during two stays with the club, helped it to 13 Division 1 Féminine titles, eight Coupe de France championships and seven UEFA Champions League wins. She also spent two seasons with the Portland Thorns, winning an NWSL title in 2017. After a brief spell with Paris Saint-Germain on loan, Henry returned to Lyon in 2018.
Henry has made 93 appearances with the French national team since 2009, playing in two World Cups. She won the Silver Ball and made the all-tournament team in 2015, when she was a finalist for Best Women’s Player in Europe.
Henry started playing soccer at the age of 5, but because there were no teams for young girls’ teams in her Lille neighborhood, she played against boys until she was 13. With Angel City, she joins a team that is 2-6-4 in all competitions, have three times surrendered points on goals in second-half stoppage time.
This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.