Angel City FC have hired Mark Parsons as the team’s new sporting director, they announced Wednesday. Parsons, who has extensive NWSL head coaching experience from the Washington Spirit and Portland Thorns FC, as well as the Netherlands women’s national team, will fully shift into leading the Los Angeles club’s soccer operations, including oversight of the technical staff, scouting and analytics department, as well medical, performance, nutrition and player care departments as well.
He’s also starting this new role with a new club during a devastating time for Los Angeles, as the wildfires continue to burn — even as the start of the team’s preseason is only a matter of days away.
“The only starting point is understanding, and realizing that everyone will be dealing with this terrible moment in the city very differently,” Parsons told The Athletic in a one-on-one interview shortly ahead of his official announcement on Wednesday. “When I meet all the staff and all the players, probably the first thing they’ll hear from me is make sure that you are taking care of yourself and your family and friends.”
There are staff and players at the club who have been directly impacted by the wildfires, most notably Ali Riley who lost her family home three days before her…
