Angel City FC sign Canadian defender, Vanessa Gilles

Angel City just got a lot stronger in defense. Today, the club announced the signing of Canadian defender, Vanessa Gilles, by way of the Division1 Féminine team, FC Girondins de Bordeaux. The deal is for one year, with an option for an additional year, and Gilles will use one of the International roster slot. In exchange, Angel City will send an already agreed-upon transfer fee to Bordeaux.

“We are delighted to welcome Vanessa Gilles to Angel City FC,” said ACFC Sporting Director Eni Aluko in a statement. “Vanessa has established herself as one of the leading central defenders globally with notably inspirational performances at the 2020 Olympics in Japan this past summer that helped lead Canada to a Gold Medal. Vanessa has a lot of experience playing in a strong league in France and will bring competitiveness, winning desire, experience, and leadership to Angel City. Vanessa’s commitment to gender equity, pay equity, and female empowerment are also perfectly aligned with our club, and we are excited to get started.”

“I’m incredibly excited to be joining Angel City FC and get to represent such an amazing project,” said Gilles in a statement. “I’d like to thank Bordeaux for giving me the opportunity to grow as a player and a person, my agents with whom we were able to make the right decisions over the years, and Angel City for believing in me to wear that special crest.”

The Montréal-born defender joined the Canadian National team in 2019, making 11 appearances for the team. Most recently, she played a key role in helping her team achieve an eventual Gold Medal in the 2020 Olympics, by converting the final penalty kick in the Quarterfinals to send her team to the semifinals, and eventual Gold medal win. In 2021, she made 10 appearances for FC Bordeaux, scoring two goals.

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