The annual NWSL draft takes place on Jan. 12 in Philadelphia and Angel City FC is currently on the clock. Over 200 players registered for the draft by the Jan. 9 deadline, but only 48 will be selected by NWSL teams. So we know only one thing for sure: Angel City FC will select Alyssa Thompson first.
A blockbuster trade for first overall
On Jan. 5, a massive four-team trade sent the first pick from NJ/NY Gotham FC to Angel City FC. The Portland Thorns and Orlando Pride were also involved with the trade. According to the LA Times, Angel City intends to draft Thompson. Jeff Kassouf reports that the trade was contingent on Thompson registering for the draft, as she was not registered then. Thompson officially registered for the draft on Jan. 6.
Updated recap of #NWSL news:
— womenkickballs (@womenkickballs) January 5, 2023
• Yazmeen Ryan from the Thorns to Angel City FC ($200K deal).
• ACFC trade Ryan to Gotham ($250K deal) for Gotham's top pick in the#NWSL Draft.
• NJ/NY acquires 2nd overall pick + 2024 Draft 4th round pick from ORL ($350K deal/NWSL record)
Thompson is an 18-year-old Los Angeles native. She has not played in the NCAA but was committed to Stanford University. She was called to the USWNT in September and has played in two matches with the team. European teams such as Paris Saint-Germain were allegedly interested in signing Thompson, but it appears that she will be staying in California for now.
The NWSL draft will be streamed on Paramount+, CBS Sports HQ and CBS Sports Network starting at 6 pm EST. Follow me on Twitter and check out Beyond Women’s Sports for more women’s sports coverage. Want to start watching the NWSL and other international football matches? You can do that here.
