A 17-year-old from St. Louis just turned pro. Angel City FC announced the signing of Maddie DiMaria to a four-year deal, bringing one of the most prolific scorers in U.S. youth soccer history into the National Women's Soccer League before she went on to set a tournament scoring record at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.
According to the Los Angeles Times, financial terms of the deal were not released. The Athletic reports the contract runs through 2030, meaning Angel City has locked in the teenage forward for the long haul right as she steps into professional soccer. The signing comes directly out of St. Louis, where DiMaria built her reputation as a St. Louis soccer star at Cor Jesu Academy before taking her game onto the world stage.
DiMaria's path to the pros runs through a jaw-dropping U-17 World Cup performance. U.S. Soccer reports she scored 12 goals at the 2026 tournament, a mark that set a record for most goals by a U.S. player at any level in a FIFA Women's World Cup. That broke the previous American benchmark of 10 goals, set by Michelle Akers at the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup, as detailed by U.S. Soccer.
A Record Night Against Samoa
Among those 12 goals was a single-match explosion against Samoa, where DiMaria found the net six times — the most ever by a female player in a World Cup match in FIFA history, per the same U.S. Soccer account. Her career U-17 scoring totals are striking by any measure: the Los Angeles Times reports 24 goals in 23 appearances for the U-17 team.
Her scoring instincts were just as sharp in high school. The Athletic reports DiMaria scored 67 goals and recorded 25 assists during her junior season, helping Cor Jesu Academy to a 25-0 season and a state championship. She graduated high school early, and U.S. Soccer notes she had been planning to enroll at the University of North Carolina to play college soccer before professional soccer intervened.
From a Summer Trial to a Multi-Year Contract
The signing didn't come out of nowhere. DiMaria trained with Angel City for a week over the summer, according to the Los Angeles Times, a trial run that evidently convinced the club to commit to her long term. Angel City CEO Amy Taylor framed the move as part of a broader strategy, describing the club, per the Athletic, as one that is already the youngest in the league but wants to continue building.
That youth movement comes alongside serious on-field momentum. The club carried a 10-game unbeaten streak into the playoffs, which the Los Angeles Times described as making it the hottest team in the league. DiMaria will be available for selection when Angel City faces the Kansas City Current in a quarterfinal match at CPKC Stadium on Saturday, the Athletic reports, giving the teenager a near-immediate shot at professional minutes just days after putting pen to paper.
