Home—by definition, a place where one feels a sense of belonging and care. Coincidentally, this was the very word veteran Christen Press used to describe Angel City FC’s new Performance Center. It wasn’t just her—other team members were equally in awe of their state-of-the-art training hub that was unveiled at the beginning of this year. So, when the NWSL side invited the iconic USWNT trio of Joy Fawcett, Shannon MacMillan, and Saskia Webber to showcase their newly acquired facility, it naturally sparked some heartwarming reactions!

Located at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, ACFC’s new home is a “multimillion-dollar custom renovation” project acquired from the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, who previously occupied the space before relocating to their new performance center in Woodland Hills. Spanning nine acres, the facility boasts a full-sized training pitch, additional space for a half-sized pitch, and an expansive 50,000 square feet indoor area, making it the largest NWSL facility dedicated solely to a single team.

Do you remember how all the Angel City stars reacted when they first saw their new home? Well, that’s exactly how Joy Fawcett, Shannon MacMillan, and Saskia Webber responded. Set to be honored during Angel City’s NWSL Matchweek 3 game against Seattle Reign at BMO Stadium as part of their Women’s History Month Match, the LA-based club took the opportunity to showcase its brand-new training center to these legendary icons.

And their reaction was priceless. In a video shared on X, the trio is first seen entering the players’ recovery room, a feature that immediately caught their attention. Reacting to the sight, MacMillan remarked, “We never had a recovery room. The recovery room was our hotel room, right?” to which Webber humorously added, “Or a bucket of ice… a bucket and some ice.”

They then toured the film room all three comfortably sat on the cushioning seats, with MacMillan commenting, “This is better than folding chairs,” while pointing towards the big screen to add, “That’s amazing.” Further continuing with their tour, the trio entered the dressing room. Interestingly, “Wow” and “Holy cow” were all they had to say in their response.

With their eyes wide open to see the modern aesthetics of the locker room, Fawcett hilariously commented, “I think my locker was my car.” Meanwhile, iconic goalie Webber was rather startled to see “20 showers?” with McMillan adding, “I don’t think I’d ever wanna leave.”

The iconic 99’ers were reacting exactly how a kid would after going to Disneyland for the first time. Quite ironic as the brainchild behind this training center are Angel City principal owners, Willow Bay and Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney!

Entering the cafeteria, all three were also stunned to see some neat additions. Coming across a “Hydration station,” Webber commented, “I’d never go home.” Likewise, similar was their reaction after they witnessed the club’s gym facility, with the former goalie again adding, “It’s incredible, look at this.”

If you think the tour, as well as the reactions, were done, spare some extra minutes!

USWNT icons take credit for Angel City FC’s revolutionary training center

All then entered a space where Angel City players had a designated spot to hang up their boots—(WAIT! Not in a retirement way!)—but simply to dry them out. At the same time, Webber couldn’t contain her excitement after spotting the goalkeeper’s gloves section, which was also neatly hung alongside the boots. The drying stand features a built-in air mechanism to facilitate the process, prompting all three legends to eagerly touch and explore how it worked.

[What’s that, ACFC goalies? Hoping that Webber’s touch will transfer some of her magical goalkeeping powers into your gloves?]

The struggle was real back in the day. Surprisingly, Webber recalled how she once had to rely on her own blow dryer to dry out her gloves after they were drenched in sweat. No wonder these little attention-to-detail features sparked appreciation from Joy Fawcett, who credited retired players for such innovations. She remarked, “It’s all retired players who thought of this probably. What was missing for them and how could they make it better.”

“What?” was the reaction of the iconic trio after being introduced to the “Sensory deprivation tank,” a sound-proof room. As everyone was discussing more about it, Webber joked, “Is that before you get sho to Mars?” Hilarious, we hope it could Saskia!

After being wowed by all the state-of-the-art facilities from the inside, Joy, Shannon, and Saskia finally touched down at the training ground to kick some soccer. Relieving their old days, the USWNT icons were simply even mesmerized by the quality and quantity of their pitch.

That only led MacMillan to just wonder how far the women’s game has come. “It’s beautiful out here. It’s the next level for women’s sports to have facilities like this. You envision this for the women’s game. But you can’t quite picture it because all the little extra touches are just phenomenal. and well thought out,” said the former defender.

Clearly, the USWNT icons are more than just impressed by Angel City’s new performance center. And who wouldn’t be? For those who never had the luxury of accessing such top-tier facilities during their playing days, it’s a stark reminder of how remarkably the women’s game has evolved. Without a doubt, Angel City stars and the future generations to come should consider themselves fortunate to have access to such exceptional resources.