Gisele Thompson: The USWNT prospect training with Angel City and blazing her own path to the top

Both Gisele and Alyssa, with just 13 months between them, were introduced to all kinds of sports from a young age, with their parents putting them in sessions for basketball, gymnastics and “everything you can think of”, Gisele recalls.

“My parents thought that we weren't going to be that tall, because my parents are pretty short, so they put us in soccer and we were pretty good at it,” she explains. “We also had speed from my dad's side of the family, so they knew that was a big part in how we played and I think just from there, we kept going.”

The pair bounced around a number of different teams in the Los Angeles area before settling at TFA. It made both of them glad to have each other. “It was really hard to keep a friend in those groups because we'd stay at clubs for short amounts of time so having [Alyssa] there was just so much easier and just like a built in friend," Thompson adds.

“You always have her there and we always go through the same experiences, so we always talk about how we feel. We understand each other so well, better than anyone could ever understand.”

Last year was a big one for Thompson, who represented her country’s U17s at both the CONCACAF Championship and the World Cup that followed. The U.S. were champions on the continent again but suffered a disappointing quarter-final exit on the world stage, knocked out on penalties by Nigeria.

Still, it was at these tournaments that Thompson really announced herself to a wider audience with her ability to be effective on both sides of the ball in her right-back role.

Fast-forward a few months and the teenage defender is now training with Angel City – when her school hours don’t clash - while still playing for TFA. She’s moved up to the U20 national team, too, representing them at the CONCACAF Championship, where they have reached the semi-finals and are one win away from qualifying for the 2024 U20 World Cup.

“It's definitely very helpful because they're fast-paced and they're grown women, so they expect a lot from me, too,” Thompson says of practicing with an NWSL side. “They're very physical and they're looking for perfection, which is very hard but also, you expect that from yourself, too.”

It’s given her an opportunity to watch and learn from a lot of top pros, with New Zealand captain Ali Riley, a veteran of four World Cup tournaments, a player she picks out as one who has given her a lot of advice.

“She communicates with me very well,” Thompson explains. “She's always bringing me into conversations and just trying to be like an older sister to me, which has been very helpful in making me more comfortable in the situations that I've been in. Whatever I need, she's always there to help me and whenever I'm working on defending or anything in that realm, she's always there to help and give me advice.”

In the modern game, it’s hard to find a full-back who has a well-balanced game. There are those who are defensively strong but don’t get forward and support attacks enough, while there are others who excel in the final third but neglect the other side of the game. Thompson, however, is very good at both.

In fact, when she first arrived at TFA, it was her aggression, her fearlessness in a tackle and her will to throw her body on the line to defend that stood out to Gonzalez. “Obviously, after that, I started noticing her speed, her agility, her technical ability,” he remembers. “I was like, 'Wait a minute. There's more'.”

Her attacking contributions have developed well alongside that because of how coachable and willing to learn Thompson is. "I think what makes me, me, is my attacking ability," she says. "My getting up the field and my speed to track back or get forward fast."

“She's really fast, she's super smart, very technical, very aggressive. She’s going to develop into a really good player,” Gonzalez adds. But the coach's favourite aspect of Thompson’s development is in her personality, with him recalling how shy she was upon arrival at TFA.

“She's transitioned into more of a comfortable role talking, coaching, demanding the ball from players,” he says. “I think that transition has been the one that I've kind of enjoyed the most in terms of just her coming out of her shell and being more confident.

“Most of it has been through these national team call-ups. Every time it happens, I get her with all the boys and I make the announcement and they get all happy and give her a high five and it kind of triggers her to see that they're very excited for her and she's one of them. I think that's helped her transition to have more confidence.”

Of course, any 17-year-old still needs to refine their game and Thompson is no different. She notes that she’s trying to better her aerial ability, while Gonzalez talks about her working on her weaker left foot.

There are physical aspects, too, the development of which will no doubt be aided by her training with a senior women’s team at Angel City. The power she puts behind her passes, crosses and shots can improve as she gets stronger.

Above it all, Thompson is also still relatively new to the full-back role. She’s played a whole host of positions but has only settled into this one in the last few years. There’s inevitably room for growth, then, as she becomes more experienced in the position.

As part of that, Thompson likes to watch the full-backs in the pro women's games and note what makes them so good. “Just seeing the movements, how they defend and get up the field, the decisions they're making, it has definitely impacted the way I play,” she explains.

When asked if there are any players in particular she observes, the teenager highlights Paris Saint-Germain left-back Sakina Karchaoui. “She's an amazing player and she's very speedy on the ball, too, which is very like how I play,” she notes. “I love watching her.”

There are definitely similarities between the two, especially because the France international is one of those rare examples of a full-back who is excellent defensively and offensively, a balance that Thompson is already showing at her young age. In that sense, one could even point to players like Ona Batlle, of Manchester United, and Ashley Lawrence, Karchaoui’s PSG team-mate, as comparison points.

Of course, the difference is that those three are doing this at a world-class level and have been for several years, while Thompson is still in the early stage of her journey. Still, it is a positive sign that she is looking at a complete full-back like Karchaoui as she refines her own game.

Thompson is in a great space right now. She’s getting so many different and valuable experiences from all corners, be it with Angel City, TFA or the national team, and has a wonderful attitude towards improving. She wants to win the CONCACAF Championship with the U.S. this year - and chip in with goals along the way, as she looks to add that element to her game.

Long-term, the 17-year-old talks about trying to make the USWNT’s World Cup roster in a few years’ time and getting to play in the same team as her older sister. To be able to call her a team-mate again is something she describes as “a big goal” – and something Alyssa talked to GOAL about last year, too.

Understandably, there has been a lot of noise around both in recent times, especially after they became the first high schoolers to sign a name, image and likeness deal with Nike last year. Yet, when you talk to the pair, their humbleness shines through. That’s an often overlooked but hugely important trait for any young talent to have. On top of her ability, Thompson has it in spades.

It's no wonder, then, with all things considered, that Gonzalez is so confident about her future. She has all the tools and the ability to play like defenders play nowadays, up and down, up and down," he says. "She has the resistance. She has the speed, the tenacity - she has everything, I think.

"In about a year, she's probably going to be widely recognised as one of the top defenders in the U.S. system, if not in two years. I wouldn't be surprised if she's already also debuting with the national team."

Those are bold predictions but she's already training with an NWSL team. If she can showcase in training what she is capable of, the opportunities to shine will follow.