Angel City FC signs Amandine Henry from Lyon: What she brings to the club

Angel City FC has signed French midfielder Amandine Henry on a three-year deal with an option for a fourth year, the club announced Thursday. Here’s what you need to know:

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

Part of it is her talents as a midfielder, but part of it is also simply some roster relief. Angel City’s midfield hasn’t had the deepest bench despite the recent addition of Julie Ertz. However, Henry’s tactical add is certainly an enormous part of the equation as Angel City’s midfield has struggled for consistency. That’s a particular shame given their ambitious jockeying to ensure they got No. 1 draft pick Alyssa Thompson, who has been brilliant so far but would benefit from more support underneath.

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This is a club that has clearly stated they have playoff expectations in their second season, and if they can optimize Henry and Ertz, perhaps as a 6 and 8 combination around Savannah McCaskill in a 10 role, they could start gaining crucial points.

That’s unclear at this time. Barring any issues with fitness or injury, Henry should be available to Angel City as soon as the U.S. transfer window opens on June 28. At that point, there will be nine games left in the regular season for ACFC. Henry is also uncertain to make the World Cup roster for France, although the March firing of France coach Corinne Diacre may be a positive development for her. Henry hasn’t been called up to the national team by Diacre since 2020; Diacre and Henry publicly fell out a few years ago amidst intermittent accusations that Diacre was disrespectful to players, including Diacre stripping French star Wendie Renard of the captaincy in 2017.

Should Henry be available to Angel City without interruption this summer, that would be quite a