Chelsea's Alyssa Thompson: I didn't think I'd play at first after summer move from Angel City

"When an opportunity like Chelsea comes up, you can't pass that up. But as a person too, it was good for me to get out of my comfort zone."

Alyssa Thompson is putting it lightly. Moving countries, even continents for work is bread and butter for many athletes but leaving behind the hometown club where you have cemented your place, the city you have grown up in and the sibling who is also a team-mate muddles the emotions a little bit more. Especially if you're 20 years old.

Last year, that's exactly what USA forward Thompson did. Not only to join the reigning WSL champions, but to become their most expensive ever signing.

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"I knew I was moving away from everything that had been so... easy for me - I feel like I was just finding my groove at Angel City," she tells Sky Sports. "It was scary and uncomfortable, but I knew it was something I needed to do for my career."

Thompson lent on her family as well as former Blues boss and current USAWNT head coach Emma Hayes who further encouraged her to try something new - but she was understandably less confident how she would adapt to her new surroundings.

Even with the record sum Chelsea were willing to pay for her, Thompson was joining a team which had dominated English football for half a decade. How quickly would she slot into a side which had just gone an entire domestic season unbeaten?

"I just had low expectations of myself," she adds. "There are so many amazing players here. I didn't know if I was going to play that much and there was so much change to get used to.

"I didn't think I was going to score for maybe the first four months or play at all, so I was super excited when I was playing and I was able to score. That mindset helped me have more grace with myself, and this big change."

Thompson's impact was as fast as it was significant, certainly greater than she expected. After two half-time introductions she started her first WSL game in mid-September, netted her first goal the following month against PSG in the Champions League and is now Chelsea's top WSL scorer.

She points to the support of international and now club team-mates Natalie Girma and Catarina Macario, though the trio's attempts to bring a touch of US culture to the Chelsea dressing room has faced a mixed reception.

"We try do to little things that we do in the US after training to bring everyone together, like bringing everyone in and saying, 'Team!'" she smiles before adding, "maybe we're more enthusiastic than English people."

That home away from home has helped shift her focus onto the pitch and the rigours of the WSL. She has made a point of working on improving her movement and timing, and a run of five goals in seven league games around the turn of the year would suggest it is paying off.

That's not to say everything has been plain sailing in London. And not just through getting used to washer-dryer combos. "They're just a lot bigger back home."

For the first time since 2019 Chelsea look set to miss out on the WSL title. They face a mountain to climb to overturn a nine-point gap to leaders Manchester City in their final six games.

With that in mind, the opportunity to claim the first domestic silverware of the season in Sunday's Subway Cup final against Manchester United live on Sky Sports, takes on an extra importance.

"We're disappointed about the standings in the WSL and we want to win in any tournament or any cup that we're in," Thompson says. "So being able to get this win would be really important for the confidence in the squad and knowing that we're still in a lot of tournaments and we still can win things, so not to get too down on ourselves.

"Winning trophies and playing for Chelsea is something that is synonymous. So I hope that we are able to win this one - we all love winning and I feel like Chelsea stands for winning."

(c) Sky Sports 2026: Chelsea's Alyssa Thompson: I didn't think I'd play at first after summer move from Angel City