By Canadian Press

Teenage forward Alyssa Thompson goes first overall in NWSL draft to Angel City FC

Jan 12, 2023 | 5:39 PM

Angel City FC took teenage forward Alyssa Thompson with the first pick in the National Women’s Soccer League draft Thursday.

The 18-year-old Thompson, named the 2021 Gatorade High School Soccer Player of the Year after scoring 48 goals in 18 games for Harvard-Westlake School in L.A., made her debut with the U.S. senior team last fall.

“Alyssa Thompson, for us, is a phenom and generational player,” said Angel City GM Angela Hucles Mangano. “She’s a player who can make an immediate impact, but she’s also young and can develop and look to be a player that we’re building a future off of, too.”

Thompson had verbally committed to Stanford but opted to forgo her college eligibility to go straight to the pro level.

The first round of the 12-team draft saw three Florida State and two Virginia players selected and the North Carolina Courage make four picks.

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The Kansas City Current traded up to pick second, sending U.S. international forward Lynn Williams to Gotham FC in order to take Duke forward Michelle Cooper, winner of the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy as the top women’s NCAA soccer player.

The 20-year-old Cooper scored 19 goals and added 11 assists last season for the Blue Devils.

Orlando City took Florida State centre back Emily Madril with the third pick. Madril signed with the NWSL last year after announcing she would forgo the remainder of her NCAA eligibility. The league then loaned Madril to Sweden’s BK Häcken FF through the end of the year. 

Florida State attacking midfielder Jenna Nighswonger, a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, went fourth to Gotham FC.

The Portland Thorns then took Alabama defender/midfielder Reyna Reyes, who is coming off a season that saw her named SEC Defender of the Year, a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist and United Soccer Coaches first team all-American.

North Carolina selected Notre Dame forward Olivia Wingate with the sixth selection.

The Chicago Red Stars used the seventh overall pick to take Penn State midfielder/forward Penelope Hocking, who was USC’s all-time leading goal-scorer before transferring to the Nittany Lions.

Houston traded the eighth pick to North Carolina plus US$100,000, a 2024 first-round pick and 2023 international spot in exchange for Mexican international forward Diana Ordonez and the 30th pick.

North Carolina used the pick to select Cal centre back Sydney Collins, an Oregon native who holds dual Canadian-U. S. citizenship. Father Brett played three seasons in the NFL as a linebacker with the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams while mother Susan played volleyball in Canada.

The Courage then took Florida State midfielder Clara Robbins ninth and Virginia forward Haley Hopkins11th. 

Robbins played 110 games in her college career with 17 goals and 25 assists. Hopkins led the Cavaliers with 14 goals, including five game-winners.

Virginia forward Alexa Spaanstra went 10th to Kansas City. 

Defending champion Portland, with its second pick, closed out the first round by taking Santa Clara forward Izzy D’Aquila overall. Aquila had 50 career goals in 78 appearances for the Broncos.

Angel City, which missed the playoffs last season as an expansion team, acquired the first overall pick in a three-team trade last week.

First, they got midfielder Yazmeen Ryan from Portland in exchange for the fifth overall pick this year, a 2024 second-round selection and US$200,000 in allocation money. Angel City then sent Ryan to Gotham with US$250,000 in allocation money for the No. 1 pick.

Thompson won her first of two senior caps against England on Oct. 7. At 17 years, 334 days, she was the youngest player to debut for the U.S. She has four goals in eight international appearances at the under-20 level.

Thompson played club soccer for Total Futbol Academy and, at 17, featured at the under-19 level as the league’s only female player.

There were 13 Canadians registered for the four-round draft, which was held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.

That list did not include highly-touted fullback Jayde Riviere, who has already won 36 caps for Canada and was part of its gold-medal team at the Tokyo Olympics.

The 21-year-old from Markham, Ont., has been linked to a move to England’s FA Women’s Soccer League with Manchester United reportedly among those interested. United is already home to Canadian forward Adriana Leon.

In September, Riviere announced she had played her last game for the University of Michigan and was taking time to recover from an injury that required surgery ahead of making the move to the pro ranks.

Quinn, a midfielder who goes by one name, is the highest-drafted Canadian in the NWSL. They went third overall to the Washington Spirit from Duke in 2018. Evelyne Viens was chosen fifth overall by Sky Blue FC from the University of South Florida in 2020, while fellow forward Deanne Rose was taken 10th by North Carolina in 2021 from the University of Florida.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 12, 2023

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press