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Lets start with some breaking news: Bay FC head coach Albertin Montoya is stepping down from his role after a disappointing second season. More context here.
Now, on to our regularly scheduled Full Time:
Should NWSL worry about another U.S. players exit? Alex Morgans pink pre-wrap Chicagos surge continues
Lets start with being rational
Thompsons consequential Chelsea move
Alyssa Thompsons unexpected million-dollar transfer from Angel City to Chelsea was one of the biggest moves of the summer. The 20-year-old signed a five-year contract with the Womens Super League club just 30 minutes before the transfer deadline closed Thursday night.
The deal for the rising, versatile U.S. womens national team player was initially valued at just under $1.3 million, with some sources now identifying that figure as being closer to $1.45 million before add-ons.
Thompsons arrival comes at the perfect time for Chelsea, as Cerys Jones writes:
She is a right-footed left winger known for her speed and increasing output as a goal scorer.
Thompsons lengthy contract is a sure sign the club has long-term ambitions for her, especially with left-winger Guro Reitens contract expiring at the end of the season.
Meanwhile, stateside, the move marks another USWNT departure sure to raise alarm for the NWSL and Angel City, leaving us wondering whether the league will ever revisit its salary cap to keep another big star from leaving (more on that in a sec).
Angel City was sure to point out that the move drew a record exit fee a glass-half-full approach. And we also cant forget that the most lucrative deal this summer was for a player coming into the league.
Melanie Anzidei
Will we see more U.S. stars move abroad?
Players including Naomi Girma, Lindsey Heaps, Emily Fox and Lily Yohannes are already overseas, and Thompson likely wont be the last to join them.
While there are many reasons to go abroad and sometimes its just a personal decision, as mentioned by Alex Morgan to ESPN last week one blaring signal is coming from the NWSL rules and regulations manual and its salary cap. Jeff Rueter explains further:
It isnt exactly what the kids mean when they say no cap, but the phrase is becoming a common part of NWSL fans vocabulary.
Thompson is no longer at Angel City, joining Chelsea half a year after Girma headed to London from the San Diego Wave. Players are looking at the whole package as they plot steps in their career, and when the domestic league puts a cap on their possible earnings, the allure of the UEFA Womens Champions League becomes even harder to ignore.
If the league wants its most marketable players to stick around, it may need to revisit the wisdom of having a salary cap.
Copying Englands lack of a salary cap might not be the answer for the NWSL, though, which also wants to maintain its competitive balance. Only a few teams in England are currently spending big.
Jeff suggests one possible solution is for the NWSL to take a page from MLS book with the designated player rule. It would allow teams to spend as much as they like in transfer fees and wages on up to three star players, who each hit the cap at a fixed rate (in MLS its $743,750 in 2025, or 12.5 percent of the cap).
No matter the solution, a tougher test lies ahead with both Trinity Rodman and Sophia Wilson reaching the end of their contracts this year.
Meet the other Thompson sister
That headline doesnt do Gisele Thompson justice in the slightest. The Angel City right back is an up-and-coming player for both the NWSL club and the U.S. national team. On Friday, hours after Chelsea announced the signing of her sister, Angel City shared that they had signed the younger Thompson to a new deal through 2029. Giseles resume is plenty impressive:
Since joining ACFC for the 2024 season, she has made 31 total regular-season appearances 15 in 2024 and 16 this season.
She leads the club with four assists this year.
The Thompson sisters were the first high schoolers to sign a name, image and likeness deal with Nike.
With Gisele just a year younger than Alyssa, the sisters have maintained a close bond on and off the field. Alyssa assisted Giseles first NWSL goal earlier this year against the Washington Spirit in a 4-3 win, becoming the first siblings in league history to combine for a goal.
The duo also made history as the third pair of sisters called up to the USWNTs senior roster. Gisele has four caps with the U.S. squad, including 90 minutes in a friendly against Colombia last April.
Chelsea had interest in both Thompson sisters, and while they are a force together, it would have been a critical blow to Angel City to see two L.A. natives leave in the same window. Now its time for both sisters to navigate the uncharted.
The San Diego Wave gave Alex Morgan another sendoff Sunday, almost exactly a year after she left the field for the last time, retiring her iconic No. 13 in front of a packed house. That closed one chapter of her career, but the 36-year-olds other trademark, the pink pre-wrap headband, remains very much alive.
Asli Pelit spoke to Morgan and the pre-wrap company she partnered with to see how the simple hair accessory became her signature look. It started small:
In college, Morgan slipped on pink pre-wrap as a nod to her future mother-in-law, who was battling breast cancer. The color stuck, and so did the look. U.S. teammates wore pre-wrap in every shade, but pink belonged to Morgan.
That little strip of foam also doubled as Morgans business blueprint. In 2012, before she was the global star we know now, she went to Mueller Sports, the Wisconsin company that invented pre-wrap for football players ankles, and pitched a partnership. They said yes. Morgans face ended up on the packaging, and her first deal became one of her longest-running ones, going until last year when she stopped playing.
So yes, the No. 13 jersey is up in the rafters now. But the pink headband? Thatll always be in the game.
Chicagos turnaround
The Chicago Stars are the most fun team in the NWSL right now. Theyve been unbeaten since the summer break, goalie Alyssa Naeher scored a late equalizer and Ludmila has backflipped into the Golden Boot race with six goals in the last four matches. Despite all the changes around them during this period (theyve cycled through two interim coaches), Chicago has been consistent with the fun, and I respect that.
On Sunday, they broke in their future long-term home at Northwesterns Martin Stadium (which started with free pilates) with a highly entertaining 5-2 victory over the Orlando Pride that featured yet another Ludmila goal and a beauty of a set piece from Sam Staab. But it was Ludmilas assist to Bea Franklin that had us hitting repeat. If they keep this up, they could crash the party at the end of the season.
Tamerra Griffin
Be honest: Youre not surprised Chelsea continued their reign with a 2-1 win over Manchester City on Friday, are you? Or that Arsenal also picked up where they left off, welcoming the London City Lionesses to the WSL with an emphatic 4-1 victory? As far as top-table contenders this season, its likely coming down to those two, barring any surprises by Manchester United or City.
But I bet you didnt have a 20-year-old Spanish international making her WSL debut with a hatty for Everton against Liverpool this weekend. Ornella Vignola made sure her name and Evertons broke through the other headlines with her Sunday exploits. As if losing at Anfield didnt sting enough for Liverpool, their former star player, Olivia Smith, helped lift Arsenal to a win by the same scoreline. It was a screamer, too.
As for the USWNT contingent in the WSL: Chelseas Cat Macario recorded her first assist of the season two minutes after subbing onto the pitch in the second half, and Phallon Tullis-Joyce earned her first shutout in Uniteds 4-0 win over Leicester.
Tamerra Griffin
Hall of Fame speech: Sue Bird accepted her induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday and delightfully noted: As for professional soccer players I didnt become one, but I scored one. You can watch the full speech here.
Getting younger: It was just over a week ago that 16-year-old KK Ream became the youngest NWSL goal scorer by 52 days, and now Rhea Moore has claimed the title of youngest goal scorer in any womens professional match in U.S. history. The 15-year-old scored for Dallas Trinity against Sporting Jax in the Gainbridge Super League this weekend.
Missing the moment: As weve talked about, there are a lot of USWNT players in England right now, as well as a team owned by Michele Kang. The timing seems just right for an influx of WSL fans from the States. Unfortunately, no official announcement about how to watch the league in the U.S. was made ahead of the opening match between Chelsea and Man City. ESPN+ aired the game and will continue to do so this season, but you had to dig to find that out. It has us wondering: Is the WSL missing its American moment?
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(Top photo: Chris Lee / Chelsea FC)
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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