Meet the teenage sensation who became the most expensive player in US women's soccer history
US Women's soccer star Alyssa Thompson is a sensation in the making and looks to be the flag bearer in US women's soccer for the next 20 years.
According to latimes.com, current US superstar Alex Morgan said: "Alyssa is absolutely the next generation. And she's proving that she can hang with this generation as well."
The 19-year-old striker from California possesses a frightening pace and a unique goal-scoring ability that has captured the minds of the US National Team and the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
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Before she went to high school, Thompson was playing girls four years older than her. In her sophomore season at Harvard-Westlake School, she scored 48 goals and 17 assists in 18 games.
Picture – Instagram @alyssthomp
After winning the Gatorade National Player of the Year, Thompson went to play with the boys at the Total Futbol Academy, the first girl to do so.
Picture – Instagram @alyssthomp
Thompson and her sister Gisele became the first high schoolers to sign a name, image, and likeness deal with Nike. Thompson is the youngest athlete to sign with Nike, even younger than LeBron James.
Thompson has beaten out James in many different things in her early professional career, with Thompson declaring for the NWSL Draft in high school and James declaring for the NBA Draft two weeks after finishing high school.
Thompson beat James to playing for Team USA as well, with Thompson suiting for the USA aged 18 last year.
The US superstar was selected as the first overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, forgoing college and going straight to the pros after high school.
To gain Thompson, Angel City FC sent $450,000 to Portland Thorns and Gotham FC, making her the most expensive player in league history.
Picture – Instagram @alyssthomp
Thompson scored five minutes into her professional debut for Angel City FC in a friendly against Club America and 11 minutes into her competitive debut in NWSL against Gotham City.
The American superstar has represented the USA at under 20 and senior level, winning gold at the 2022 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship.
Picture – Instagram @alyssthomp
In September 2022, Thompson became the youngest player since Sophia Smith in 2017 to play for the US Senior team, making her debut in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley against England.
The teenage star became the second youngest player to represent the USA at a World Cup, having been selected to go to Australia/New Zealand a month before her high school prom.
Thompson didn't get much action in the World Cup as the USA was knocked out on penalties by Sweden in the first knockout round, but she did make her debut in the opening game against Vietnam.
After the previous success of the US Women's team at World Cups, the pressure and reigns now fall in the lap of teenage sensation Alysse Thompson to bring back the former glory.
Picture – Instagram @alyssthomp