Despite her status as one of the most exciting young talents in world football, Thompson arrived with a humble mindset. Joining a squad that had just completed a domestic season unbeaten, she was realistic about her chances of walking straight into the starting XI. In fact, she was prepared to wait a significant amount of time before making any tangible impact on the scoresheet for the Blues.
"I just had low expectations of myself," she added. "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."
"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," Thompson explained. "It was scary and uncomfortable, but I knew it was something I needed to do for my career. 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."