LOS ANGELES — Angel City and the San Diego Wave made history on Sunday; the Wave won the NWSL Shield (given to the No. 1 team at the end of the regular season) for the first time, and Angel City made the playoffs for the first time. Off the field, they closed seasons leading the league in attendance; the Wave finished first while Angel City ended second.
Angel City’s large crowds regularly featured celebrities, including many of the club’s famous investors like founder Natalie Portman and investors Sophia Bush, Eva Longoria, and Jennifer Garner. One famous face did not appear at any of Angel City’s games, though: Taylor Swift. However, defender and captain Ali Riley hopes that will change.
“It would be awesome,” Riley said. “I like what they said. This is the real football. Come to one of our games. Come to an NWSL game. Hopefully, we will be in San Diego for the semifinal.”
When Riley said “they,” she referred to a comment made by Wave forward Alex Morgan who made a similar request after her team won the Shield.
“There’s an open invitation, always,” Morgan said. “American football games are fun, but real football is more fun, I think.”
Swift has attended multiple NFL games in 2023, often sitting with Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce’s, mother, Donna Kelce. According to Fox Sports PR, the Chicago Bears versus Chiefs game on Sept. 24, which Swift attended, was the most-watched telecast on any network and ranked first among multiple female demographics.
Riley and Morgan want Swift to come to a “real football” game instead of American football. Angel City and the Wave could meet in the NWSL semifinals if Angel City wins on Friday against OL Reign, and there, Swift is invited.
