Rising national soccer star Alyssa Thompson is moving to the United Kingdom to play for Chelsea FC, in a surprise deal that takes her away from her hometown team and her younger sister.
Thompson signed to Chelsea in "one of the highest transactions in global women’s soccer," Angel City FC announced Friday, although the exact financial terms were not announced. The 20-year-old forward had re-signed a contract with Angel City in Los Angeles earlier this year, which would have kept her at the club through 2028.
"I love L.A.," Thompson said in a release from Chelsea on Friday. "I love playing there. I love being with my sister. I love my family. But what I also know is that I want more for myself, and I want to experience different things. I feel like Chelsea is such an amazing club."
The deal was announced after Chelsea told fans that Colombian forward Mayra Ramírez will be sidelined indefinitely to rehab a hamstring injury that required surgery.
Her younger sister, Gisele, had also signed her own extension with Angel City at the same time. The sisters have become staples of the team, even scoring the first sister-to-sister goal in the National Women's Soccer League during a game in May.
Rumors swirled over the last week that Thompson was in talks to move to the Women's Super League, much to the dismay of her Los Angeles fans. Some showed up to the team's Monday match with signs begging her not to go.
But Thompson was not at the game, marked as an excuse absence on the availability report as speculation intensified.
Angel City is desperately fighting to secure a playoff spot as the NWSL season comes to a close in a few weeks, a spot only guaranteed to the top eight teams. The Los Angeles club is currently ninth in the standings, just behind Gotham FC.
The two teams are set to face each other on Sunday, and Angel City will have to do so without one of its top scorers.
It's unclear how Angel City will cope with losing Thompson as the NWSL transfer window ended on Aug. 25, and Thompson is currently the second-highest scorer on the team. She's given them six goals so far this season, just two behind former teammate Riley Tiernan.
The team also just lost defender Alanna Kennedy and midfielder Katie Zelem to the U.K., as both women signed to the London City Lionesses.
Thompson was drafted by Angel City at the age of 17 in January 2023, which at the time was a historic move as the NWSL had never drafted a high schooler. She gave up a chance to play at Stanford and chose to turn pro in her hometown.
Her younger sister was signed to the team later that year, in what the sisters described as dream come true opportunity to play together.
They've both been called up to the U.S. women's national team as coach Emma Hayes has been looking to add depth in her roster through developing younger players.
She scored her first goal for the senior national team in October last year in an international friendly against Iceland. Since then, Thompson has scored two more goals and totaled three assists for the national team.
Thompson will join her USWNT teammates Naomi Girma and Cat Macario at Chelsea. Girma left the San Diego Wave for Chelsea in January in a deal that made her the first million-dollar player in women's soccer.
It's an incredible opportunity for Thompson's career development as she grows into a household name for soccer fans.
Chelsea is considered one of the best clubs in the women's game, with a stacked roster full of international stars. English players Lucy Bronze and Hannah Hampton are returning to the squad after helping England win the UEFA European Women’s Championship this summer.
