Dario Vidosic looks set to switch from the Women’s Super League in England to the bright lights of the NWSL in America, reports The Guardian.
The former Socceroos midfielder has carved a reputation as one of the brightest minds in women’s football during his tenure at Brighton & Hove Albion, but with just over a week until the new season, it seems he is headed to Angel City to take over as head coach ahead of the 2027 campaign.
He will walk into a club with box office appeal, where Hollywood A-Lister Natalie Portman was one of the founders alongside Kara Nortman and Julie Uhrman in 2020, while the club, which is owned by Willow Bay and former Disney CEO Bob Iger, boasts other investors including Serena Williams, Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach and Billie Jean King – the largest female-led ownership group in professional sports.
They have shattered stereotypes around the commercial viability of women’s sport and when Iger and Bay took a controlling stake worth $50m, it valued the club at $250m – making it the most valuable professional women’s sports team on the planet.
They have become known for their crowds at BMO Stadium, while also pioneering a balance between social consciousness (10% of all sponsorship revenue goes to local neighbourhoods) alongside its commercial agenda.
Vidosic joins them having led Brighton to May’s Women’s FA Cup final, succumbing to Manchester City, the culmination of two impressive years at the club, but according to UK reports, has surprised his squad with his decision to leave.
Leif Smerf is currently in charge of Angel City on an interim basis, having replaced Alexander Straus in June, with the Los Angeles based club ninth, two points adrift of the playoff positions.
The former Melbourne City coach won 20 games, drew six and lost 23 across 49 matches in charge, during a tenure in which he endured the tragic loss of his father, Rado, who passed away after a battle with cancer. Rado had been working with him as an assistant coach.