Six Things to Know: NWSL Draft Prospect Alyssa Thompson

The likely No. 1 selection will bypass a college career at Stanford.

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Alyssa Thompson has long had ties to Southern California, and it appears the rising soccer star will be staying close to home as the likely top pick in Thursday’s NWSL draft. 

A blockbuster trade unfolded last week between Angel City, Gotham FC and the Portland Thorns, and according to the Los Angeles Times, Angel City had its eyes on landing the 18-year-old even before she registered for the draft. The Los Angeles-based team dealt its No. 5 pick, a 2024 second-round pick and $200,000 in allocation money to Portland for Yazmeen Ryan. The midfielder was then traded to Gotham FC, along with $250,000 in allocation money, for the top pick of the draft. The moves were made official Thursday, and Thompson officially registered for the NWSL draft over the weekend. 

With Thompson’s decision to enter the NWSL draft and embark on her professional career, she de-committed from Stanford. The school’s women’s soccer coach, Paul Ratcliffe, told the San Francisco Chronicle, “I am disappointed that Alyssa decided to [forgo] the opportunity to attend Stanford. However, I wish her the best of luck in her professional career.”

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Thompson is a U.S. women’s national team forward who made her international debut at just 17. However, the senior at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles wasn’t on the team’s 24-player roster for the first World Cup training camp of the year. 

Here are six things to know about the projected No. 1 pick ahead of this week’s draft.

Her dynamic year went from the U-20 World Cup to a USWNT call-up

Thompson was the only high schooler on the U-20 roster for the tournament, and she scored a goal in the opener. That led to the forward securing a spot on the senior team’s roster in October for friendlies against Spain and England. Her USWNT debut came against England in Wembley Stadium when she subbed in for Megan Rapinoe. Thompson later was called up for November’s friendly against Germany, and ahead of that month’s camp, coach Vlatko Andonovski made one thing clear: “Alyssa is here to stay.”  

She’s a multisport athlete

Thompson is one of the high school sprinters in California. Last year, she recorded the state’s second-fastest mark in the 100 meters at 11.47 seconds. 

A Champions League team had its eye on Thompson

Paris Saint-Germain also showed interest in Thompson. In 2021, Alyssa and younger sister Gisele, who was part of the U-17 World Cup run in Dubai last year, trained with the French club. 

The standout athlete had an NIL deal—before ever coming close to college

Thompson was the first high school athlete to receive a name, image and likeness deal with Nike. Gisele, who is verbally committed to play at Stanford, also signed a NIL deal with the sneaker giant, in May 2022.

Thompson’s impact extends beyond the field

The 2021 Gatorade High School National Girls Soccer Player of the Year is known to have dedicated time and money toward various charities, such as No Kid Hungry, which focuses on children facing food insecurity. She also “volunteered locally supplying PPE materials to hospital workers and hygiene kits to local foster children,” according to her page on the Gatorade POY website. 

The Thompson sisters competed within a MLS Next youth organization

Alyssa and Gisele both compete for MLS Next’s Total Futbol Academy. Alyssa told MLSsoccer.com in November, “The experience that we’ve had on the team from the start has been very good. The boys have been very welcoming and obviously, as time progressed, they trusted us more. They’ve really helped us become the players we are today.”