Laurin Thompson

North Carolina Courage did not go looking for Lauryn Thompson on the open market. She came up through their own academy after starting out at Indy Eleven Academy, where she spent three years playing in the ECNL and USL W League. Rather than take the usual route through college soccer, she turned professional straight from the academy system, signing a guaranteed four-year contract with the Courage running through the 2029 NWSL season, agreed as a free agent in December 2025.

Thompson plays as a forward, right-footed, and wears the number 7 shirt. She has made nine NWSL appearances for the Courage so far, with her professional career still in its early stages and no major senior titles or individual awards to her name yet.

Her international record is further along. Thompson has represented England at youth level, picking up caps for the U17s and scoring against Kenya in the group stage of the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, a tournament England finished fourth in. She has since stepped up to the England U19s, where she has scored twice, including two goals off the bench against Estonia during qualifying for the UEFA Women's U19 Euro 2026. She was also part of the squad at that tournament's final stage.