Alyssa Thompson, a star forward for Angel City, is set to make her move overseas, marking yet another impactful shift from the NWSL to England’s WSL.
The NWSL club has reached a verbal agreement to transfer Thompson to Chelsea for a fee of $1.3 million (along with potential add-ons) ahead of the WSL transfer deadline on Thursday, as reported by The Athletic. The forward has accepted a five-year contract. Notably, the fee is below the $1.5 million record for women’s soccer transfers, recently established by the Orlando Pride’s acquisition of Lizbeth Ovalle.
Thompson’s departure represents a substantial loss for both the Los Angeles club and the NWSL. At just 20 years old, she was one of the league’s brightest young talents, having been drafted No. 1 overall by Angel City when she was merely 18—just a few months before she secured a place on the roster for the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Her six goals this NWSL season, including a decisive goal against Orlando on August 21, place her tied for seventh in the league.
An LA native, Thompson has been playing alongside her younger sister, 19-year-old Gisele, at Angel City. The Thompson sisters have been seen as integral to ACFC’s youth foundation and long-term aspirations, with Alyssa emerging as a potential enduring icon for the franchise. They have also been involved in numerous sponsorship endeavors, such as partnerships with Toca Football (in which they hold equity), NYX Professional Makeup, and Stifel Financial Corp. In 2022, the pair made headlines by signing Nike’s first high school NIL deal.
Reports from The Guardian’s Tom Garry earlier this week suggested that Angel City and the NWSL were “reluctant” to let Thompson transfer, emphasizing that it was Thompson herself who pushed for the agreement to be finalized.
Despite being valued at $250 million by Sportico, the highest for any NWSL club, Angel City has encountered difficulties since its inception in 2022, making the playoffs just once and currently positioned ninth in the standings. In January, the club sought to secure both sisters for the long term, extending their contracts through 2028. CBS Sports noted at that time that both Alyssa and Gisele had attracted interest from European clubs before those extensions were finalized. While the financial specifics were notdisclosed, it’s worth noting that the NWSL’s team salary cap for 2025 is set at $3.3 million, projected to rise to $5.1 million by 2030.
Chelsea as a WSL club operates without a strict salary cap. This financial leeway, combined with increasing investments in women’s soccer, has made European clubs more appealing to American players. Following England’s success in the 2025 Women’s Euros, the domestic league appears poised for further growth.
At the 2023 World Cup, the only player from the U.S. roster—Lindsey Heaps—was competing in Europe, while the other 22 were playing in the NWSL. Fast forward two years, and there are now nine players from February’s SheBelieves Cup U.S. roster found in European clubs: Thompson, Naomi Girma, and Catarina Macario at Chelsea; Heaps, Korbin Shrader, and Lily Yohannes at France’s OL Lyon; Emily Fox and Jenna Nighswonger at England’s Arsenal; and Crystal Dunn at France’s PSG. Notably, three of these players (Macario, Shrader, and Yohannes) have yet to compete in the NWSL. Additionally, goalie Phallon Tullis-Joyce signed with Manchester United in 2023 and earned her first USWNT cap in April 2025.
For years, U.S. Women’s National Team players reported feeling discouraged by U.S. Soccer from seeking opportunities abroad as a way to stabilize and develop the NWSL after its start in 2013. U.S. Soccer managed the league until 2021, even covering the salaries of allocated national team players. As control loosened, so did the notion that U.S. players had to remain stateside. With rising professional salaries making it more common for younger American prospects to forgo college, the landscape is rapidly evolving.
Thompson, who opted to go pro instead of attending Stanford, has earned 22 caps for the U.S. women’s national team, which is coached by former Chelsea manager Emma Hayes. The connection extends beyond just players: Alexis Ohanian, the founding controlling owner of Angel City, acquired an 8-10% stake in Chelsea’s women’s team earlier this year and also serves on their board.
For Angel City, Thompson’s exit adds to a series of challenges in the club’s young history. Following the purchase by Willow Bay and Bob Iger last year, the organization has endeavored to reshape its on-field performance, including hiring former NWSL coach Mark Parsons as its sporting director in January and bringing in Alexander Straus from Bayern Munich as coach in April (with his tenure starting in June). They also opened a new training performance center at the beginning of the preseason. However, after a promising start to the 2025 season, the club has struggled, recently ending an eight-game winless streak. With Thompson’s departure, the path to revitalization becomes even steeper, leaving fans increasingly frustrated.
Nonetheless, the NWSL is not without its silver linings. The league continues to attract international talent, boasting 18 players at this summer’s Euros, a threefold increase from 2022. Among the league’s top five scorers this season, four are from outside the U.S., including leader Esther González from Spain and 2024 MVP Temwa Chawinga from Malawi. As the competition between the NWSL and WSL intensifies for the title of women’s soccer’s premier league, Thompson’s move will certainly not be the last significant transfer.
Image Source: Alyssa Thompson @ Instagram
