When Jordan Angeli, a professional soccer broadcaster and former National Women’s Soccer League star, tore her left ACL for the third time, she confronted the question “If I don’t have soccer, what do I have?”
But even in that time when her body was broken, she experienced God’s blessing in unexpected ways, through family and friends and through God reordering how she thought about soccer.
“I just feel like it was really kind of God to be like, ‘All right, actually, this isn’t for you,'” Angeli said on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast, reflecting on all the ways God shepherded her during that time.
“Once I started like really digging in more and going to church and like getting into my Bible, because I did feel like — the funny part of what I just said is like I felt like I was broken — but then to really know, like, I am broken and I do need Jesus,” she said. “Like I need something that is bigger than any of this, that is bigger than being a national team player or a professional soccer player…like any label you can give.”
“I need to know that the Lord has called me enough, and the Lord has called me His daughter and beloved, and all those things,” she continued. “And I felt like stripping those things away really allowed me to say, ‘All right, God, like, I don’t really…I don’t know what’s next. I just trust that you’ll show me.’ And I really had to work on that, and I feel like I still work on that.”
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Angeli is a pillar for women in the soccer community. She founded the Denver Summit FC, which had its first season this year after joining the National Women’s Soccer League in 2025.
“A moment I will never forget,” Angeli posted on Instagram at the time. “What a day celebrating the launch of @denvernwsl 🙌🏽 so grateful for all the hard work from so many people over the last 2 years to turn a dream into a reality. Let’s do this Denver.”
In March 2026, the Summit had a record-breaking 63,004 people in attendance for their home opener against the Washington Spirit.
Angeli has even been a part of opening a new soccer stadium in Colorado specifically built for women.
“A couple weeks ago, I got to host the opening of the Common Spirit Performance center for the Denver Summit! Tomorrow, I will be hosting the opening of a brand new, soccer stadium built for women in the state of Colorado ⚽️ 🏟️ Pinch me moments for a girl from Lakewood who only dreamed of days like these,” she shared over the weekend.
As Angeli anchored her identity in her faith rather than professional labels, she found the strong foundation she needed to pioneer new opportunities and transform the landscape of women’s soccer in Colorado.
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