Angel Metropolis makes Alyssa Thompson the primary HS participant taken first general

Alyssa Thompson is staying in Los Angeles with Angel Metropolis, and all it took was some NWSL Draft historical past to make it occur.

With the primary general decide of the 2023 NWSL Draft, Angel Metropolis made the Harvard-Westlake ahead the primary highschool athlete to listen to her title referred to as first within the league’s 10-year historical past.

Thompson’s choice was extensively anticipated after Angel Metropolis acquired the primary general decide from NJ/NY Gotham FC final week in a deal that noticed it commerce its pure No. 5 decide and a second-round decide in 2024, plus $200,000 in allocation cash, to Portland Thorns FC for Yazmeen Ryan, then ship Ryan and $250,000 to Gotham.

That deal made the 18-year-old Thompson basically the costliest participant in league historical past, because the earlier most-expensive deal by allocation cash was the San Diego Wave’s acquisition of USWNT star Alex Morgan for $275,000, per the Los Angeles Times.

What’s extra, Thompson’s brokers told the Times’ Luca Evans that she has signed a three-year take care of Angel Metropolis they are saying is the most important for any NWSL participant beneath 25.

Angel Metropolis is actually anticipating the value to be value it. Thompson, who was beforehand dedicated to play at Stanford, gained the distinguished Gatorade Excessive College Participant of the Yr award in 2021 after scoring 48 objectives in 18 video games. No, that statistic isn’t a typo.

Thompson can be one of the top high school sprinters within the state of California and made her USWNT senior workforce debut final yr.

Thompson will not be completely unprecedented as a high participant coming into the NSWL with out school expertise, as Washington Spirit star Trinity Rodman joined her workforce in 2021 after not enjoying a recreation in her school profession at Washington State. That transfer has greater than labored out for the Spirit.

2023 NWSL first-round draft picks

1. Angel Metropolis FC: Alyssa Thompson, F, Harvard-Westlake Excessive College

2. Kansas Metropolis Present: Michelle Cooper, F, Duke

3. Orlando Pleasure: Emily Madril, D, Florida State

4. NJ/NY Gotham FC: Jenna Nighswonger, M, Florida State

5. Portland Thorns FC: Reyna Reyes, D, Alabama

6. North Carolina Braveness: Olivia Wingate, F, Notre Dame

7. Chicago Purple Stars: Penelope Hocking, F, Penn State

8. North Carolina Braveness: Sydney Collins, D, College of California

9. North Carolina Braveness: Clara Robbins, M, Florida State

10. Kansas Metropolis Present: Alexa Spaanstra, F, Virginia

11. North Carolina Braveness: Haley Hopkins, F, Virginia

12. Portland Thorns FC: Izzy D’Aquila, F, Santa Clara