Paige Nielsen’s debut with the Angel City Football Club hit an obstacle on the first day of preseason training in February.

After being selected by Angel City in the expansion draft following three seasons with the Washington Spirit and being part of last season’s NWSL Championship squad, Nielsen was excited for her new future.

“I was ready and I was fit to go and I couldn’t wait for Angel City and what we had to build,” Nielsen said about the 2022 season. “The first day of preseason, my (left) arm started swelling and it turned out I had an upper-extremity blood clot and it put me out for the three months.

“I had to blow the blood clot, I had emergency surgery that night and then three weeks go by and I had to be put on blood thinners. I was still able to run, but I wasn’t able to train with the team because I was on blood thinners. Then I had to get major surgery to have a rib taken out, repairing my vein and having two other muscles out on March 2.”

Nielsen eventually made her debut with Angel City (3-3-1, 10 points) against the Spirit on May 15, receiving her championship ring before the game.

She has appeared as a sub in the past five games, with her longest stint playing 26 minutes Friday against the Portland Thorns.

“Coming back to the field has definitely been difficult,” she said. “But I couldn’t have asked for a better team, better teammates, better coaches and better support. I feel finally almost ready to help the team and I’m here.”

Nielsen was eventually diagnosed with Paget-Schroetter Syndrome.

“It happens in young athletes, specifically upper body, like baseball pitchers or tennis players and I had been rowing a lot, I was trying to get really fit for the season,” Nielsen said. “They said it had been happening since I was 12, the pressure of my vein from my chest muscle, and I also got a booster shot December 29 and my hematologist said that probably contributed to it too, so who knows?

“I was also flying out. I had gotten married, I went on honeymoon, flew to L.A. right after that and probably just over time my vein was being compressed and when they went and did the surgery, my vein was 99 percent blocked.”

Nielsen figures to get more time in Saturday’s game against Racing Louisville FC (2-3-2, eight points) with Vanessa Gilles not on the trip for unspecified reasons. Gilles, who has been an anchor on the Angel City back line, recently earned NWSL Best XI honors for the month of May.

“Because I’m coming off of injury, I’ve been with the reserves, trying to get more fit and get more comfortable on the ball,” Nielsen said. “It’s an element of fitness, it’s an element of making decisions in games. The players have had 11 games to kind of figure out their playing style, their own tendencies and I’m just coming in, so I have to be sharp. Building minutes per game is the way to do it, for the team and for the individual.”

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NOTES

Defender Jasmyne Spencer suffered a knee injury in the May 29 game against NY/NJ Gotham FC. Angel City coach Freya Coombe said Tuesday that Spencer will be out approximately 4-6 weeks. … Angel City acquired an international roster spot in a trade with OL Reign on Thursday. The move costs $40,000 in allocation money ($25,000 in 2022 and $15,000 in 2023).

Angel City FC at Racing Louisville FC

When: Saturday, 5 p.m.

Where: Lynn Family Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky

TV: Paramount +