Majority Women-Founded NWSL Team Angel City FC Selects High School Sensation Alyssa Thompson No.1 in NWSL Draft

Angel City Football Club and Alyssa Thompson, a senior at Harvard-Westlake High School (Studio City, CA), made history when Thompson was drafted by the majority women-founded National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team as the first high school soccer player to go No. 1 overall in the league’s 10-year history. Thompson is widely regarded as one of the biggest young talents in the game.

Thompson is still a senior in high school and elected to forego her college eligibility and declare for the draft. In a statement to CNN, Thompson said “This was the hardest decision that I’ve ever had to make in my life, there were so many back and forths about it, but in the end, I decided that it was the best for me.” Thompson’s decision paid off as she was the only high school player among the 48 picks in the draft. Thompson is also a standout sprinter who specializes in the 100-meter dash.

In a statement on the Angel City’s team website, general manager Angela Hucles Mangano said “She’s a player who can make an immediate impact, but she’s also young and can develop and look to be a player that we’re building a future off of, too.”

Back in 2020, Alyssa and her younger sister Gisele, began playing for a boys’ club in the Major League Soccer academy which helped Thompson improve and get used to the speed and the physicality of the game. She was awarded the High School Soccer Player of the Year in 2021 after scoring 48 goals in 18 games with 14 assists to lead Harvard-Westlake to a 19-0 record and the CIF Regional SoCal Division 1 title. She was also selected by Gatorade as the 2021 National Player of the Year.

Thompson made her debut on the US Women’s National team in 2022 and saw playing time in games against England and Spain.

Being drafted by Angel City FC will keep the 17-year-old close to home since the 2022 expansion team is based in Los Angeles, California. The team has many high-profile owners, including Serena Williams, Mia Hamm, Billie Jean King, Eva Longoria, Becky G and Natalie Portman. Angel City FC’s inaugural season saw the team finish with a record of 8-5-9. With such high-profile investors in the sport, it is likely only a matter of time before women’s professional soccer increases in popularity in the United States.