Things moved quickly for Sara Doorsoun.
At the end of her two-year contract with Eintracht Frankfurt, she signed an extension through 2026 in March. Then in July, she had made her decision to leave Germany and sign with Angel City Football Club. Angel City had to pay an “undisclosed transfer fee.”
“I knew what I had in Frankfurt,” she said. “I was one of the captains of the team. I was pretty successful with them and I had my role. My family lived close to Frankfurt and I felt comfortable.
“Five weeks later, I got a call from my agent and he said, ‘You (won’t) believe who called me, Angel City is interested in you’. I didn’t know what to say in that moment. I was so happy, but I knew that I had just renewed my contract (with Frankfurt).
“This is an opportunity I’m really looking forward to and I don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance to play for the team I’ve always wanted to play for. It’s not just Angel City FC, it’s Los Angeles, and I’m happy to be here.”
Doorsoun, 33, would eventually sign a two-year contract through 2026 with Angel City. She made her debut as a second-half sub in Sunday’s 3-1 loss against Gotham FC.
“I said after the game, ‘Wow, what a start.’ I got my yellow card after two minutes,” she said. “And I didn’t get a lot of yellow cards in Frankfurt. I said, ‘OK, welcome to the U.S. League.’
“I was so proud of the Angel City logo on my chest and to finally play for this team. I’m not here for vacation or holiday or whatever. I want to be successful with this team, I want to give my best for this club. I have already achieved a lot in my career, but I also want to learn from this team because it’s different compared to the European league.”
Doorsoun’s familiarity with new Angel City coach Alex Straus also made the move a bit easier.
“She’s an intelligent, very smart player with very good spacing defensively and she has a lot of experience,” Straus said. “She’s played around 60 games for Germany’s national team and has been in the big tournaments, including the end of those tournaments, so she brings all of that experience into our team.”
Doorsoun played at VfL Wolfsburg (2018-2022), joining Eintracht Frankfurt after that. The battles against Straus during his time at Bayern Munich didn’t always go her way.
“When I heard that Alex Straus was going to be the next head coach of Angel City, I was a little bit jealous, but a few weeks later, I got the call from him,” Doorsoun said. “He said it wasn’t nice to play against you and he saw the way I play in Frankfurt, which is something I’m really grateful for.”
“We had tough games against each other. Unfortunately, Frankfurt didn’t win that often. Bayern won more. He (Straus) knows how to win games and he has won the last three years in Germany, so he knows what he’s doing and having a coach who knows how people of Europe like to play soccer makes it a little bit easier. I have to get used to some things and he’s just there to help me.”
Nealy Martin arrives
Angel City acquired midfielder Nealy Martin in a trade with Gotham FC in exchange for $85,000 in intra-league transfer funds.
Martin joined the NWSL in 2021 with Racing Louisville FC. She joined Gotham FC in 2023.
“Very happy that Nealy is here,” Straus said. “She has won before, she has won this league with Gotham and she knows that it takes to win. That’s a big thing and that’s a big asset for us.
“She can cover a lot of positions, she can play both in the midfield and defense and also multiple positions in the defense.”
Martin will be available Saturday.
After playing Sunday in New Jersey, Angel City remained on the east coast, traveling to North Carolina on Tuesday. The club will return home after Saturday’s game against the Courage.
Lily Nabet sent out on loan
Midfielder Lily Nabet was sent on loan to Fort Lauderdale United FC in the Gainbridge Super League.
The former Chaminade High star, who has been with Angel City since its first season, has made 37 league appearances. The loan is through the 2025 season.
ANGEL CITY FC at NORTH CAROLINA COURAGE
When: 9:30 a.m. Saturday
Where: WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, N.C.
How to watch: CBS Ch. 2