FootyPop: Alyssa Thompson Joins Chelsea

In this week’s women’s soccer news, Alyssa Thompson joins Chelsea; Chicago announced a new home for 2026; London City Lionesses announced an exciting partnership; and more!

High of the Week

There has been some speculation for the last week or so, but it was officially announced that Alyssa Thompson is joining Chelsea. Thompson was a hometown kid for Angel City, and it’s a big blow for them to lose her, especially as they’re fighting for a playoff spot. Chelsea has made it very clear that they want to be the best in the world, and they’re spending a lot of money to make that happen. It was reported that the transfer fee was somewhere between $1.3 and $1.5 million. The young star signed a five-year deal with the Blues.

It’s a case of the rich getting richer, and Chelsea has a wealth of attacking options, including Sam Kerr, who has returned from injury. However, how the club will utilize Thompson is still to be determined, but she’ll likely play a significant role. The WSL season has just started with the Blues defeating Manchester City 2-1 in their opener. Thompson could make her debut when they take on Aston Villa this weekend.

Low of the Week

Manchester City’s Lily Murphy suffered a serious injury in their season opener against Chelsea. It took the referees quite some time to stop play so that the team trainers could evaluate Murphy. It looked to be a serious injury to her arm, and she was taken off the field on a stretcher. Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton was one of the first to rush over to Murphy and try to console her after the injury. While there’s been no official team update, the speculation is that Murphy broke her arm. It wasn’t a dangerous challenge that she got injured on, but she fell awkwardly, leading to the injury.

News of the Week

The Chicago Stars announced that they would be moving to a new stadium in 2026. Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium will be their new home next season, and it is an exciting new change for the club who’s under new ownership and trying to make a new name for themselves. The stadium has a beautiful location on the water of Lake Michigan in Evanstown, Illinois. It was originally built to be the temporary home of Northwestern football, but it has since hosted different teams. Chicago got a taste of what the fan support would be like at the stadium when they faced the Orlando Pride at the stadium this weekend, with over 10,000 fans in attendance. It’s a new chapter for the Stars that will likely prove to be a good move for the club.

Win of the Week

The London City Lionesses have been making waves in the women’s soccer world with their impressive player acquisitions. This week, however, it was with sponsorship news when they made the announcement that they were partnering with Togethxr to bring the Everyone Watches Women’s Sports kit to life. London City will have Everyone Watches Women’s Sports as their front of jersey sponsorship, and it’s just another impressive move that the club and owner Michele Kang are doing. It’s a beautiful jersey that many will be trying to get their hands on. They have a light blue/teal looking kit and then a white kit with pink and purple lines.

Togethxr is founded by Alex Morgan, Chloe Kim, Jessica Robertson, Simone Manuel, and Sue Bird. It’s a historic partnership, but it likely won’t be the last.

Return of the Week​

Luana made her NWSL return to the field for the Orlando Pride this week, and it was a special moment. The midfielder had to step away from the game in April of 2024 following the diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She immediately underwent chemotherapy and was added to the season-ending injury list in 2024. In August, she was removed from the SEI list, and she made her league debut for 2025 when she subbed on in the 76th minute against Chicago. Her first official return to the field came in the Pride’s W Champions Cup match earlier this week.  It’s great to see the midfielder back on the field, and we hope to see her playing for a long time.

Team of the Week

The Chicago Stars made a statement this week in their 5-2 win over the reigning NWSL Champions, the Orlando Pride. It took until the second half for Chicago to find the back of the net, but once they did, the goals kept coming. It was a team effort for the Stars with five different goalscorers. While it was only Chicago’s second win of the season, it gives a glimpse of what this club could be like under its new head coach. The club needed a statement win, and they got that to gain some momentum and maybe make a run to disrupt other club’s playoff hopes. It was quite the script flip for the Stars, who faced off against the Pride in their season opener and lost 6-0.

Social Media Post of the Week

USWNT and Portland Thorns forward Sophia Wilson announced the birth of her first child with her husband, Michael Wilson, who is a wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL. Wilson had a baby girl named Gianna Capri Wilson.