Gisele Thompson forges her own path on Angel City

Sisters Alyssa and Gisele Thompson have performed soccer together their whole lives, teammates throughout their newbie and skilled careers. Alyssa turned professional in 2023 at age 18 when she signed with Angel City FC, and Gisele adopted.

Now, Alyssa is continuous her profession in Europe with Chelsea FC, having transferred in September on a $1.3-million deal, while Gisele is making ready for her third season with Angel City. At just 20 years outdated, Gisele will face her first full season without her sister, on a skilled — and personal — path that has been far from standard.

Instead of taking a break in January, as many younger girls her age do before coming into faculty, Gisele was at training camp with the U.S. senior workforce and performed in a 6-0 win over Paraguay on Saturday in a pleasant at Dignity Health Sports Park. Gisele, a defender recognized for her velocity on the wings, next will be part of preseason training with Angel City; she signed a four-year contract extension in September.

Alyssa and Gisele performed together the last two NWSL seasons and competed for the national workforce, turning into the third pair of sisters to play together for the U.S. They dealt with fixed public scrutiny, the expectations to carry out at a high stage, the strain to produce better outcomes for Angel City, and the difficult competitors at the national workforce stage.

Now they have to work independently.

“They’ve played together their whole lives and have always been each other’s emotional support,” their mom, Karen Thompson, said.

As the older sister, Alyssa was important in supporting Gisele during her first NWSL season in 2024. Thanks to that help, Gisele developed into one of the best offensive-minded defenders in the league.

“Gisele was also able to see firsthand how Alyssa responded in a professional environment, without having to be in that environment herself,” Karen said. “She was prepared in a way that Alyssa may not have been. I think that was very helpful for Gisele. I think it was a huge advantage.”

Both are very younger and still defining their identities, not only as gamers but also as adults.

“We are two different people and we are both incredible players but we each have a different path,” Gisele said.

Off the pitch, Gisele is understood for her jokes, but also for her composure and professionalism.

“She tries to control her feelings very well, and I think that’s also one of her strengths,” her mom said.

Alyssa Thompson, left, and Gisele Thompson had been teammates their complete lives.

(Anne M. Peterson / Associated Press)

Alyssa is a little more expressive and emotional, which is mirrored in her aim celebrations.

During the U.S. camp, Gisele is wanting to keep healthy and focus on her own path.

“It’s her time to discover who she is, as a player, as a person, individually,” Karen said. “Gisele is a very impactful player, and I feel that, in general, defenders don’t always get the same attention as others, and I just hope she takes advantage of this opportunity to show what she’s worth.”

Alyssa and Gisele share not only their velocity and aggression when coming into the opponent’s space, but also the same work ethic. In May they grew to become the first sisters to mix to rating a aim in the NWSL: Gisele ran down the wing and crossed to Alyssa, who slotted home the shot against Washington. It was a aim celebrated by the whole Thompson household and a reward for all the laborious work the sisters put in on the discipline.

“In my opinion she is one of the most promising players in the world,” Angel City coach Alexander Straus said of Gisele.

When Gisele just needs to just be a 20-year-old, she focuses on her favourite hobbies, such as cooking and spending time with mates from her old-fashioned, Harvard-Westlake.

Angel City coach Alexander Straus says of Gisele Thompson: “We have to keep her fit so she can stay on the field and play even more minutes than last year.”

(Kyusung Gong / Associated Press)

“I have friends outside of soccer, so I love going to the beach. I have different hobbies, such as cooking and baking. That separates my soccer mindset from my everyday life and allows me to connect with my family,” Gisele explained. “I think it’s very important to maintain a balance between soccer and normal life.”

Straus said Angel City is working to help Gisele grow steadily. She performed 15 video games in 2024 and 23 video games last 12 months.

“We have to keep her fit so she can stay on the field and play even more minutes than last year,” said Straus, who took over as coach last season. “Developing all those physical parameters is also very important, but she’s still very young, so we would never pressure her to do so.”

Gisele also obtained help from retired New Zealand defender Ali Riley, whom she considers half of her household, and Angel City hopes to foster a tradition of developing gamers that will get rid of the need for them to to migrate to European soccer, as Alyssa and others have performed.

“Gisele can do whatever she wants. She has the potential to be whatever she wants to be, one of the best in the world. I think she’s the best in her position, and of course, I’ll always put her very high, because she’s my player,” Straus said. “I hope she stays in Los Angeles for a long time to come.”

For now, Gisele hopes to make more appearances with the U.S. workforce, looking for the consistency needed to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

“It’s good for her to come and be exposed to that level and that quality, but it’s also very good for us that she brings that level to our environment,” Straus said.

Gisele, who performed for Southern California groups such as Total Futbol Academy, Real So Cal, and Santa Clarita Blue Heat, also issued a warning: Keep an eye on her 14-year-old sister, Zoe.

“Honestly, I think she’s going to be better than us,” Gisele said of her sister, a midfielder who performs for the Tudela workforce and already represented the U.S. in the youthful divisions.

“It’s clear that she admires us both, and I hope she can be better than us and that we can motivate her to be the best.”

In a extremely aggressive choice course of, making the workforce for the World Cup or Olympics is not going to be straightforward for Gisele and Alyssa, but as these sisters have shown, there are no limits to attaining their desires.

This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español.