Angel City FC announced on Thursday that it has signed U.S. Under-17 forward Maddie DiMaria through 2030. DiMaria had previously committed to play college soccer at the University of North Carolina.
DiMaria scored 12 goals at the U17 World Cup, which is still ongoing, and she is likely to win the tournament's Golden Boot. The United States lost to North Korea on Sunday in the quarterfinals. Her 12 goals were the most scored by a U.S. player, or any player of any nationality, at any age level in a single World Cup. She also scored the eventual game-winning goal in a round-of-16 upset over two-time champions Spain, and her six goals in a 17-0 win over Samoa in the group stage set a new record for a female player in a single World Cup game at any level.
"I am so excited to be joining Angel City Football Club," DiMaria said in a statement. "It is a club that I am so happy and proud to be a part of. I was able to train with the team over the summer, and it was such a welcoming environment. Seeing all that Angel City has to offer and everyone associated with the club made me excited to learn, compete, and help the team however I can. I can't wait to get started."
Angel City sporting director Mark Parsons said in a statement, "Maddie is one of the world's top young talents, and we are thrilled she has chosen to call Angel City home. We are proud to be building a high-performance environment with player development at the center, which continues to attract elite talent. Maddie spent time with us this summer and immediately made an impact in training, and we are excited to officially welcome her as a member of this team for years to come."
DiMaria will be available for Angel City in Saturday's NWSL quarterfinal match against the Kansas City Current, the team said. The NWSL's roster freeze was Oct. 8, exactly a month before Thursday's announcement, and ESPN confirmed that DiMaria signed with Angel City prior to that freeze. The NWSL does not have rules requiring teams to announce signings within a certain amount of time of a roster freeze or transfer deadline, and teams frequently make announcements in the days following those cutoffs.
Angel City is unbeaten in 10 games and heads into Saturday's quarterfinal as the No. 5 seed. The Current are the No. 4 seed.
