California Dreamin’: USWNT’s Emily Sams Shines Ahead of New Era in Angel City
The defender had a career night in the January 27 win over Chile; joins Angel City FC in the NWSL for the 2026 season, which kicks off in March
Emily Sams is set to begin a NWSL season in California for the first time in her professional career, and if the January U.S. Women’s National Team camp is any indication of how she’ll perform for her new club in her new state, the stalwart defender is bound to thrive.
Sams signed with Angel City Football Club on Jan. 9 via a transfer from the Orlando Pride, as one of several USWNT players on the move this offseason. Prior to the signing, the 26-year-old spent the last nine years of her career in the state of Florida, playing collegiately at Florida State University before being drafted third overall in the 2023 NWSL Draft by Orlando Pride.
In three seasons at Orlando, she quickly rose to become one of the best defenders in the league and played an integral role for the Pride, helping the club capture the NWSL Shield and NWSL Championship while earning the individual honor of NWSL Defender of the Year in 2024.
After experiencing so much success during her time in Florida, Sams told legendary 99er turned broadcaster Julie Foudy that this move to California, where Sams will look to instantly contribute to a team that finished 11th in the 2025 NWSL standings, was a fitting next chapter.
“I wanted something new for my career,” Sams said on the TNT broadcast prior the USA’s match vs. Chile in Santa Barbara on Jan. 27. “I think I was ready for the next step and a new challenge… and I’m so excited to get started with Angel City and to see what we can do this year.”
The Boise, Idaho native enters the 2026 NWSL season coming off what she deemed a top moment in her career. In January, Sams was named to the USWNT roster for two matches in Carson and Santa Barbara, California. In the latter contest against Chile, Sams shined in front a sold-out crowd at Harder Stadium, playing a full 90 minutes and recording her first international goal and first international assist.
“It’s a very special night,” Sams said after the match. “I’m so honored and happy to have accomplished that.”
The performance capped what might have been a defining training camp for Sams. She also won the team leaderboard during camp, a competition in which players earn points each day from on and off-field activities.
The match in Santa Barbara was just the ninth cap in her international career. She earned her first on October 27, 2024, after receiving a gold medal as part of Hayes’ roster for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, despite not seeing the field during the tournament. In fact, in a feat probably never to be replicated, she earned her gold medal before her first official cap.
Even with fewer than 10 caps under her belt, Sams was one of three players Hayes named in January camp who were given more leadership responsibilities, along with Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman and Claire Hutton, the 20-year-old midfielder recently traded to Bay FC. Rodman served as captain in the first of the two-match set, a 6-0 rout over Paraguay on Jan. 24 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif., with Hutton getting the armband when Rodman exited the match. Hayes gave Sams the armband for the second match, and the center back led the least capped starting XI in 25 years to a memorable 5-0 victory to extend the program’s streak of shutout wins to five.
“Emily Sams, without question, leads by example with her combination of behaviors, not just in terms of being competitive but the standards she holds for herself,” Hayes said. “She’s a great teammate, very thoughtful, caring and kind.”
To prepare for a bigger role, Sams said over the last 18 months she studied USWNT mainstays defender Emily Sonnett and midfielder Rose Lavelle and current active cap leader Lindsey Heaps. One of those three players, according to Hayes, draws a close comparison to what Sams brings to the squad.
“I tell her a lot she reminds me of Emily Sonnett,” Hayes said. “[Sams] doesn’t have a lot of caps for us, but she’s always ready. She values training. She puts the team first. She goes about that as a quiet steward in the program.”
Sams moved to Southern California during the offseason and is prepared to make her Angel City debut when the NWSL kicks off its 14th season. The league’s Kickoff Weekend begins March 13 and all 16 clubs will be in action. The Los Angeles-based club kicks off its fifth NWSL season and 30-match set with a home opener against Chicago Stars FC at BMO Stadium on Sunday, March 15.
Sams was a late addition to Hayes’ roster for the 2026 SheBelieves Cup presented by Visa, replacing defender Jordyn Bugg. The coaching staff exercised caution with Sams, who was recovering from a minor muscle injury, and the defender didn’t see any action as the U.S. Women’s National Team claimed its eighth title in tournament history – another championship team Sams has been a part of.
As a winner at every level and everywhere she’s played – internationally for the U.S., professionally for Orlando, and collegiately for the Seminoles, where she won an NCAA title in 2021, her next goal is to translate that professional success to her new soccer home on the West Coast.
“We’ve only been here for two or three weeks, but it’s been great so far,” she said during January camp. “I’m excited to explore Southern California and excited for the year ahead.”