By ESPN FC | Created at 2025-03-17 02:18:43 | Updated at 2025-03-17 07:32:21
5 hours ago
Associated Press
Mar 16, 2025, 09:28 PM ET
Alyssa Thompson scored early in the second half and Angel City FC pulled into a 1-1 draw with rivals San Diego Wave FC on Sunday in the National Women's Soccer League season opener for both teams.
Thompson, 19, scored from the corner of the box in the 54th minute. The goal drew cheers from new owner Bob Iger, the Disney CEO, who was sitting next to NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman.
Thompson led Angel City with five goals and seven assists last season.
San Diego took the lead in the fifth minute on rookie Gia Corley's goal. Corley came to the NWSL in the offseason from the German club Hoffenheim.
She was the fourth player in NWSL history to score in her first five minutes as a starter.
San Diego lost despite holding possession for 63 percent of the game with a 16-10 advantage on shots.
The night before the season-opening match, Angel City forward Sydney Leroux announced on social media that she was stepping away from the team to focus on her mental health.
"Anyone who knows me knows I'm a fighter -- I always have been," Leroux wrote. "I take pride in pushing through, in showing up, in giving everything I have. But right now, I owe it to myself and my children to take a step back and take care of me."
Leroux, 34, did not indicate how long she would be away from the team.
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this story.
