WSL

It was the same feeling last season – that Chelsea did not feel invincible and there were areas where they could be exploited.

Yet nobody managed to take advantage as they went unbeaten in their WSL, FA Cup and League Cup triumphs.

They took time to settle in Friday’s opening game, instead needing to figure out how to stop the movement of their opponents and get around a new-look set-up from Andree Jeglertz in his first game in charge of City.

The match had been teed up nicely by Chelsea’s presentation of blockbuster deadline day signing Alyssa Thompson walking out on a red carpet before kick-off.

Sam Kerr, the Australian superstar striker, was also back in the squad for the first time in 20 months after her recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

And there was a debut for Kerr’s compatriot Ellie Carpenter – an exciting full-back addition from eight-time Champions League winners Lyon.

But after working out City’s fluid system, the hosts quickly settled into their usual routine to take control of the match.

They realised Carpenter had the better of City captain Alex Greenwood with her pace and was causing the visiting defence problems. So Chelsea kept getting the ball to Carpenter and the debutant assisted Aggie Beever-Jones for the opener.

They doubled their lead in the second half, capitalising once again with their attacking quality after City created good chances of their own, but did not take them.

An own goal from Niamh Charles on a Greenwood set-piece was the only chink in the armour despite all of City’s pressure and creativity – and the unanswered chants of “we want Kerr” was the only thing missing in an otherwise perfect scenario for the Chelsea support.

They had three points against one of their title rivals and Carpenter ran the show.

“Yeah, I’m pleased with the result but also the performance,” said manager Bompastor. “In the first half we had control and created the most dangerous opportunities.

“We were able to keep some really good players at City quiet. We had a strong start in the season and I’m pleased with that, but it’s only the first game.

“In terms of the psychological aspect, it’s always important to beat a big opponent and someone who is trying to fight for the league.

“I won’t go crazy with these three points. We still have 21 [games] to go.”

Angel City winger Alyssa Thompson left for London on Wednesday afternoon as negotiations continued on a transfer that would send her from the NWSL to Chelsea of the Women’s Super League. But she might be running out of time since the WSL transfer window closes at 3 p.m. PDT Thursday, less than 24 hours after she boarded her flight.

“She wants to go to Chelsea and made it very clear she wants to leave,” said a person close to Thompson, who would speak only on condition of anonymity for fear of disrupting the delicate negotiations. “The rest is out of our hands.”

Thompson’s agent, Takumi Jeannin, declined to speak about the negotiations on the record while Angel City did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The speedy Thompson, 20, has already said goodbye to her Angel City teammates and did not suit up for the team’s win over Bay FC on Monday. She reportedly spent two days waiting to fly to London, where the transfer would be announced, only to repeatedly be told the deal had hit a snag.

If the transfer is agreed to, the fee for the U.S. international and World Cup veteran is expected to top $1 million and could smash the record $1.5 million the Orlando Pride paid Mexico’s Tigres for Lizbeth Ovalle last month.

USWNT defender Naomi Girma was the first $1-million transfer in women’s soccer history when she went from the San Diego Wave to Chelsea last January. Canadian Olivia Smith broke that record in July, going from Liverpool to Arsenal for $1.3 million.

Thompson was still an 18-year-old senior at Harvard-Westlake High when she became the youngest player taken in the NWSL draft, going to Angel City with the No. 1 pick in January 2023. That summer she became the second-youngest player to appear in a World Cup game for the U.S.

Thompson signed a three-year contract worth an estimated $1 million after the draft in 2023, then agreed to a three-year extension in January. She is the club’s all-time scoring leader with 21 goals in all competitions and she ranks sixth in appearances with 74. Her six goals in 16 games this season ranks second behind Riley Tiernan’s eight and she also has three goals and three assists in 22 games with the national team.

Thompson leaving Angel City would also mean leaving her sister and roommate Gisele, 19, a national team defender who was signed by Angel City in December 2023.

For Angel City, meanwhile, losing Thompson would strike a significant blow to the team’s playoff hopes. The club, which has won two straight and is unbeaten in its last four, is a point out of the league’s eighth and final postseason berth with eight games to play. But Angel City already lost two players — midfielders Alanna Kennedy and Katie Zelem — on transfers to London City of the WSL for undisclosed fees last month. And the week before that it traded forward Julie Dufour to the Portland Thorns for $40,000 in intra-league transfer funds and an international roster spot.

In addition, the club is without Scottish international Claire Emslie, who is on maternity leave, defender Savy King, who is on medical leave, and U.S. World Cup champion Sydney Leroux, who has stepped away from soccer to deal with her mental health.

After Monday’s win over Bay FC, Angel City coach Alexander Straus said the uncertainty over Thompson’s future with the team has been distracting.

“If I’m being honest, the last couple of days, it’s been difficult,” he said.

Straus said he learned Thompson would not be available just a day before the game.

“It’s been hard for me in my position when things change,” he said. “It changes our plans and changes the plans for the players.”

“But none of us is bigger than the club,” he added. “We focus on that, what is our value together. And if somebody leaves at some point — or somebody has left a couple of weeks ago — I think it does something to a group. It’s not easy, but it’s how you manage it.”

While the loss of a player like Thompson would hurt Angel City on the field, the likely seven-figure transfer fee would help ameliorate that. The same might not be true for NWSL, whose success and its marketing has long been built around the personalities playing in the league.

Yet in recent years it has lost Alex Morgan to retirement while national team stars including Girma, Crystal Dunn, Emily Fox, Lindsey Heaps (nee Horan), Catarina Macario and Korbin Shrader (nee Albert) have left to play in Europe.

Losing Thompson would be another blow.

As for Chelsea, it is the most successful club in the WSL, having won a domestic treble last season in Sonia Bompastor’s first season as coach. Bompastor replaced Emma Hayes, who left to take over the U.S. national team.

Chelsea will open its WSL season on Friday against Manchester City.

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Manchester City have signed defender Laura Wienroither from Arsenal on a two-year contract following a positive loan spell.

The 26-year-old spent the second half of last season with City after joining initially on a short-term basis in January, making eight appearances.

Wienroither moved to Arsenal from Hoffenheim in January 2022 and played 51 times for the Gunners.

The Austria international said making a permanent move to City, who finished fourth in the Women’s Super League last season, was a “no-brainer”.

Wienroither said: “I really enjoyed the last six months. I feel like I settled in well.

“I really like the girls, I really like the staff. So, when the opportunity came up that I can stay, I didn’t have to think twice.”

She has committed to City until 2027 and expects to be challenging for silverware.

“This club is made to win titles, to win trophies, and I’m here to do that,” Wienroither said. “The team definitely has the qualities and potential to do that, and we do have a very successful future ahead.”

Wienroither suffered an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury in May 2023 and spent 11 months on the sidelines, making her return to the Arsenal team in April 2024 before signing a new contract with the Gunners two months later.

However, Wienroither only featured three times for the Gunners last season before her loan to City, as she faced competition from USA full-back Emily Fox and academy graduate Katie Reid.