E. Sams

Emily Sams arrived at Angel City in January 2026 in a trade that cost the club $650,000 in intra-league transfer funds — a record fee for a defender in NWSL history and the second-largest ever paid in the league. The move followed three seasons at Orlando Pride, where she won both the NWSL Shield and the NWSL Championship in 2024, a year in which she was also named the league's best defender and picked for the NWSL Best XI.

Sams began her senior career at Racing Louisville in 2022, before her switch to Orlando the following season. She had already shown pedigree in college, winning the NCAA Women's College Cup with Florida State in 2021 and earning recognition as the ACC's best defender.

She has been capped by the United States and was part of the squad that won gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics, though she did not feature in the tournament itself. Her first international goal came in January 2026, in a 5-0 friendly win over Chile. She has also won the SheBelieves Cup with the national team.

At Angel City, she wears the number 6 shirt and plays as a centre-back, right-footed, a position she has held since her early days at Racing Louisville, where she also contributed four goals in nine matches for the club.