Angel City FC Defender Vanessa Gilles to Go on Load to Lyon
September 19, 2022 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Angel City FC News Release
LOS ANGELES – Angel City Football Club (ACFC) announced today that center back Vanessa Gilles will go on loan to Lyon through June 2023. ACFC will retain Gilles’ rights and has extended her contract through December 2023.
“Being a part of Angel City this year has been an incredible experience, both on-and-off the pitch. The fans, my teammates, and the entire Angel City family have made representing this crest mean so much,” said Gilles. “Leaving before the end of the season was a very difficult decision to make both because we are in a run for playoffs, and because I have been injured and unable to contribute as much as I would have liked. It is very bittersweet. However, having the opportunity to go on loan to Lyon and compete in the Champions League among some of the best in the world has always been a dream of mine, and is one that I couldn’t pass up.”
Gilles, a 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist with Team Canada, has played an integral role in the inaugural ACFC squad, including scoring the club-first ever-regular season goal on April 29th in front of a sold-out home crowd. She is scheduled to return to LA and rejoin ACFC for the balance of the NWSL 2023 season following the conclusion of the Lyon season and World Cup.
“We’ve been fortunate in our first year to attract world class talent and players like Vanessa,” said ACFC General Manager Angela Hucles Mangano. “While her presence will be greatly missed, we feel that by extending her contract through December 2023 and retaining her rights, we are supporting her as a player in what we know is a dream opportunity for her. Angel City is a player-focused club with a holistic professional development approach. We are happy that this arrangement achieves all of this for the clubs and Vanessa.”
Gilles made her first appearance with the National Team in 2019 in an international friendly against Switzerland made her tournament debut in November 2019 at the 2019 Yongchuan International Tournament in a 3-0 win over New Zealand. Since then, she has made over a dozen appearances with the Canadian National Team, including one in the 2020 Summer Olympic Quarterfinals, where she converted Canada’s final penalty kick for a victory in Tokyo. She joined ACFC from Division1 Féminine team FC Girondins de Bordeaux after a four year stint with the club. She played collegiate soccer at University of Cincinnati where she accumulated numerous accolades including the 2014 American Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team and the 2017 American Athletic Conference Co-Defender of the Year award.
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