The NWSL offseason is a war zone, with Angel City FC and San Diego Wave FC running back-to-back power moves. It appeared that San Diego had one-upped its new rival when it came to the signing of former Angel City goalkeeper Didi Haracic, but Angel City fired back with a blockbuster signing of its own in Australian international Alanna Kennedy.

This is more than offseason shuffling; this is a California rivalry in full effect. Both teams are loading up for a high-stakes 2025 season, and every signing matters. For Angel City, if they were going to lose an icon of their club like Haracic, it needed to be met with a serious response-and Kennedy is the perfect answer.

Angel City FC makes power move in Alanna Kennedy signing

It wasn’t enough for Angel City to sign Kennedy; they wanted to make a statement. They took a strong tone with their official announcement, welcoming in the Australian defensive powerhouse with the following message:

“Welcome to LA, Alanna Kennedy! We’re thrilled to have her on board as she shores up the backline and rounds out the roster ahead of what promises to be an exciting 2025 season.”

With many years of top-level experience in England’s WSL with Manchester City, coupled with multiple Fifa Women’s World Cups, highly experienced Kennedy brings a wealth of expertise into this game. The hope is that through her tactical intelligence, aerial dominance, and leadership at the back, she will be the difference maker for Angel City.

The fact that she signed in really helps defend the club dear, since from Haracic’s departure, the club had to take a huge brunt; instead of merely patching it up, Angel City leveled up by adding a player with much experience and international pedigree.

Aggressive play & a rivalry

Renewed in San Diego First off, San Diego pulled off the heist of the offseason, poaching Angel City’s former No. 1 goalkeeper in Didi Haracic. The Bosnian international is the all-time leader in saves, shutouts, and appearances for Angel City and was an unquestioned fan favorite. To see her switch sides to a direct rival? That one hurt.

The announced move saw San Diego’s Sporting Director Camille Ashton be all over it, as she said:

“Adding a player of Didi’s caliber brings a new level of depth and quality to our goalkeeper unit. Her experience will push our goalkeepers and strengthen the team dynamic.”

And it wasn’t some random signing, either. San Diego are coming off a tough 2024 season and trying to rebuild fast; grabbing one of Angel City’s best is how you make a statement.

But Angel City wasn’t about to take that lying down, and Kennedy’s arrival was proof that they don’t just react-they set the pace. Just got personal in California, and with both teams making high-impact moves, their 2025 matchups won’t just be games, they’ll be grudge matches. Buckle up. Angel City vs. San Diego, here we go.