LOS ANGELES — Alyssa Thompson opened her home debut perfectly on Wednesday night.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft scored the first goal of the game, in spectacular fashion in the fifth minute, navigating her way through and past four defenders, dribbling around the goalkeeper and slotting the ball into the goal on a tight angle.
“This morning, I kind of woke up early, I was a little anxious,” said Thompson, a senior at Harvard-Westlake High. “I went to school, had English, then I went back home and I was getting more nervous and as time progressed, I was trying to not think about it (the game) that much.
“When I got here, I was trying to focus, just trying to feel comfortable and once I stepped on the field, I felt better and I felt comfortable with my teammates and I felt prepared for the game and what was going to happen.”
Angel City added second-half goals from Paige Nielsen and Simone Charley for a 3-0 exhibition victory over Club America from Liga MX Femenil. This was the first meeting between the two teams.
Thompson was set to attend Stanford as part of a highly-touted recruiting class. However, she decided to forgo her college eligibility and declared for the draft. Angel City then pulled off a four-team trade to secure the top pick, eventually taking Thompson.
“When I heard she was going into the draft, there was only one team I wanted her to go to,” Angel City defender Ali Riley said. “It is so exciting having her and I think she’s really going to change the future for young, talented soccer players.”
Just like Thompson, Riley attended Harvard-Westlake and also went to Stanford.
“For so many years, for the most part, we’ve had one path in this country … play in high school, go to college and then playing pro and now you’re seeing Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit), Olivia Moultrie (Portland Thorns) and now Alyssa Thompson, this is very iconic what they’re doing,” Riley said. “You’ve already seen how…
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