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The new team, which has yet to be named, was
announced by the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) on
Tuesday.
Olympic gold medallists and World champions Lauren Cheney
Holiday and Abby Wambach are among 14 former national team
players in the ownership group, which has named itself "Angel
City".
"Today we take an exciting step by announcing the first women
majority-owned and led ownership group," Portman said in a
statement.
"I am thrilled by the opportunity to partner with this
incredible group of people to bring a professional women's
soccer team to Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles team will be the 11th to enter the NWSL and will
follow Racing Louisville's debut in 2021.
"The growth trajectory of the NWSL is incredibly exciting, but
we also need to be strategic and thoughtful about how fast we
expand and the communities we partner with," NWSL commissioner
Lisa Baird said.
"We've long sought the right partner in LA considering the NWSL
fanbase that already exists in the region and the massive
interest in women's soccer in general."
Led by venture capitalists Alexis Ohanian and Kara Nortman and
entrepreneur Julie Uhrman, the group also includes actors Uzo
Aduba, Jessica Chastain, America Ferrera, Jennifer Garner, Eva
Longoria, late night talk show host Lilly Singh.
Tennis star Serena Williams, who is married to Ohanian, is also
part of the founding investors group.
(This story is refiled to add dropped word 'with' to headline to
read 'team up with')
(Reporting by Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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