Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian cheers on their co-owned Angel City FC, congratulates Alyssa Thompson on her 'first of many goals'
Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian watched Angel City FC in action against Gotham FC and congratulated debutant Alyssa Thompson on her first goal for the team.
Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian are co-owners of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) team Angel City FC alongside celebrities like Natalie Portman, Jessica Chastain and Eva Longoria, among others. Tennis legend Billie Jean King also joined the ownership group in 2020.
Angel City FC signed Alyssa Thompson with the first overall pick in the NWSL Draft on January 12, 2023. Thompson made her professional debut for the club on March 27. The 18-year-old made an exceptional start to her club career with a long-range goal scored just 11 minutes into the match.
Alexis Ohanian was present at the match and celebrated Thompson's goal on social media.
"Thompson already scored one goal. It's not a fluke y'all," Ohanian said.
He congratulated the 18-year-old on her goal, the first of many more to come.
"Congrats on your first of many goals," he wrote.
Alexis Ohanian credits the birth of Angel City FC to a dare from Serena Williams
The co-founder and lead investor of Angel City FC, Alexis Ohanian, credited a dare from his wife, Serena Williams, as the motivation behind the birth of the club on October 29, 2022.
"Angel City [FC] was largely prompted by a dare from my wife [Serena Williams]," Alexis Ohanian said, in a video shared by the NWSL on Twitter.
He brought up the anecdote of watching the 2019 Women's World Cup final with their daughter Olympia wearing an Alex Morgan jersey. At the time, he had expressed his desire to see Olympia play for the women's national team. The 23-time Grand Slam champion responded immediately and challenged him to ensure that his daughter is paid what she deserves before considering such an opportunity. This inspired Ohanian to take on the challenge and do what he can to help.
"As I was watching the 2019 Women's World Cup final and my daughter was running around in an Alex Morgan jersey. I was just musing like, 'Hey, wouldn't it be cool if she played for the women's national team one day?' And Serena without missing a single beat said, 'Not until they pay her what she's worth.' I was like, alright, challenge accepted, let's see if I can do some things to help," Ohanian expressed.
Their daughter Olympia became the youngest co-owner of a team in sporting history when she was named part-owner of Angel City FC alongside her parents.