ALYSSA THOMPSON SITS on a white leather couch at the Nike headquarters in Los Angeles, crammed between her two sisters and parents. Thompson’s legs are crossed, her hands pinned between them, a white, crisp Nike sneaker bouncing metronomically in midair. A smile crosses her face like a searchlight, here and gone in a flash.
Some 2,700 miles away, in Philadelphia, the 2023 NWSL draft is about to start without its star. It’s no secret: Thompson, who preferred to stay close to home, is about to become the No. 1 pick and the first high school player to be selected first in league history. A week earlier, Angel City had moved mountains to get the first pick and wasn’t shy about what they planned to do with it. Nearly 50 people, including former coaches, teammates, agents, media and Angel City employees, encircle Thompson on elevated chairs and a smattering of hot-pink and white beanbags.
“Everyone take a deep breath in,” an Angel City FC staffer advises the crowd. “Hold it … breathe out.”
But there isn’t much suspense as NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman comes into frame on the TVs bolted to the walls.
“In the first round of the 2023 NWSL draft,” Berman says, “Angel City FC select … Alyssa Thompson.”
The cameras catch Thompson as cheers erupt around…
