Hanging up on Alyssa Thompson’s wall is a picture of her playing football alongside her younger sister Gisele at Angel City.
It was a time before one of Europe’s biggest clubs came knocking to take her away from her family and from the sunny streets of her hometown Los Angeles to where the freezing days never end and derby rivalries are the talk of the town.
‘I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to how cold it is,’ she tells Daily Mail Sport, who reminds her that the warmer days are coming.
‘That’s what everyone’s been saying,’ she replies, with a hint of a smile.
The picture from her Angel City days – hanging alongside a framed album cover of R&B singer Sade – is also a reminder of how far the young forward has come in such a short amount of time.
At just 21 years old, Thompson is already three-and-a-half years into making her national team debut, coming on for Megan Rapinoe in a friendly match against Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses at Wembley.
Thompson was the youngest draft-pick in NWSL history when she joined Angel City FC at the age of 18 in 2023, and then one of Chelsea’s biggest ever signings for £1million last summer
At just 21 years old, Thompson is already three-and-a-half years into making her national team debut, the youngster seeking the guidance of Emma Hayes before she joined Chelsea
The youngest draft pick in NWSL history when she joined Angel City at just 18 in 2023, Thompson quickly became the LA franchise’s poster girl – a homegrown star leading the line. Just a year later, she sealed a £1million move to Chelsea FC Women, one of the club’s biggest signings. With nine goals and three assists in her first 22 appearances, it’s no surprise she is determined to stay grounded amid a meteoric rise.
‘Being at Chelsea is something that I’ve always dreamed of,’ Thompson tells Daily Mail Sport, speaking through her partnership with TOCA Social. ‘I’ve always wanted to play in Europe, so having this opportunity, I’m not taking it for granted at all.
‘When I arrived, I had no expectations for myself. I was like “I’m moving to a new country, a new team.” I feel just England in general is a little bit scary – it’s just so far from my home, so I had no expectations for myself.
‘I was like, “I probably won’t play that much, probably won’t score for a while, that’s OK, just have grace and be OK with the hard times because you did this for a reason.” Being able to now play – scoring and assisting – I just didn’t think that would happen so early.
‘I don’t even think about the price tag. I just was thinking about myself and how I wanted to think about this transition.’
Ironically it was the work of former Chelsea boss Emma Hayes who had to put the brakes on an enthusiastic Thompson desperate to be Europe-bound last summer – the United States’ head coach deploring her to pause over the difficult questions.
‘When I first got the offer, I don’t know if she (Hayes) knew – she probably did! – but I asked her what her thoughts were because I was already like, “I want to go”,’ she says.
‘I asked her what her thoughts were and she just asked me the hard questions that maybe I wasn’t thinking about.
‘“What about your sister?”, “What about leaving LA?”. After that, I knew that I wanted to go. I knew all of that would be super hard, but being able to play for Chelsea is something that I feel like you can’t pass up. It’s one of the best clubs in the world.
Thompson’s sister, Gisele, plays alongside her for the United States and joined her at former club Angel City
‘I didn’t know when I’d have another opportunity to come here. I’m still young and being able to develop here and be on a team with such amazing players is so good for me regardless of what I’m doing on the field. Even in training I’m getting better, so it’s been really cool having that.’
Thompson says having the likes of her United States team-mates Naomi Girma and Catarina Macario has been ‘super helpful’ in helping her integrate into life in London. As has fellow newcomer Ellie Carpenter, the Australian having taken the young Los Angelite under her wing. There are also friends in the country studying on their travel abroad programmes, forcing Thompson to see the sites when, she says, she wouldn’t usually bother.
The biggest adjustment to living in England, though, is an unexpected one.
‘The washing machines are super small and I can’t do a lot of loads in them, which is annoying,’ she says, deadpan, until I burst out laughing. ‘I was not expecting that. Everything here feels smaller!’
Wednesday’s Women’s Champions League game against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, where Sonia Bompastor’s side must overcome a two-goal deficit if they are to qualify for the semi-final, is the biggest game she will play in since she’s arrived. The fact that it’s against their north London rivals gives it that added edge.
‘I’ve never experienced a derby like it. When I was at Angel City, the club had only been around for four years. Chelsea, Arsenal has been around for decades, and it’s something that’s deep-rooted.
‘There’s not another team in LA. Having the match in the same city makes it something even closer to home that you want to win. Being a part of it this season has definitely prepared me for this.
Thompson says having the likes of her United States team-mates Naomi Girma and Catarina Macario has been ‘super helpful’ in helping her integrate into life in London
‘(Saturday’s 4-3 WSL win over Villa) gives us confidence to know that we’ll do anything to win and we’re going to fight to the last minutes of the game to win. We know that we also have a lot more that we can bring to the game.
‘We have more quality than we have been showing too – and we have a lot of confidence in each other and belief in each other that whatever happens, we’re able to stick by each other and know what each individual brings and bring our best to that game.’
Thompson was speaking to Daily Mail Sport through her work with TOCA Social’s Momentum, enabling women and girls to play football for just £1 per player during its weekly Womxn’s Hour.
‘I’ve been partnered with TOCA for a little bit now, but being able to be a part of this campaign has been really cool because it’s only a pound for women to play and it’s super easy and accessible,’ she adds.
‘Having all the proceeds go to Girls United is really cool. I met them when I was there and it was really sweet being able to be around players that are starting at the grassroots level.’
