When Alyssa Thompson, Angel City FC’s No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NWSL draft, collected the ball outside the 18-yard box, opened her body and curled a right-footed shot into the top-right corner of NJ/NY Gotham FC’s goal, founders Julie Uhrman, Natalie Portman and Kara Nortman saw the club’s future flash in front of their eyes.
Led by president Uhrman and general manager Angela Hucles Mangano, Angel City devoted all their offseason attention to ensuring that Thompson, the consensus top pick, would continue her development at home. Born and raised in Studio City, 20 miles from Angel City’s BMO Stadium, Thompson attended Harvard-Westlake school, the No. 2 private school in America — and the most prestigious in the Los Angeles area.
For the club, selecting Thompson was a mere formality. The 18-year-old prodigy had made history six months earlier by becoming the youngest player to feature for the senior U.S. women’s national team since Sophia Smith in 2017. Given these credentials, trading away this year’s No. 5 draft pick, a 2024 second-round top natural pick, and allocation money in a three-team trade involving Portland Thorns and Gotham was a straightforward decision.
Despite still attending classes at Harvard-Westlake, Thompson last played for her high school…
