Gisele Thompson wasn’t a total newcomer when she signed with Angel City this season. The 18-year-old had already been training with the team the season before, tagging along with her sister, Alyssa, after she joined the club in 2023.
But training with a professional team and playing professional games are two different things, and Thompson still had a steep learning curve after officially joining the team.
“Honestly, it was a lot of pressure,” said Thompson last week. “I didn't realize how much pressure it would be in the beginning, because when I was coming here last season, it was just like, ‘oh, this is fun!’ Obviously I was working really hard because everyone around me was so amazing, but now it's different. You have to earn your spot, and I’m working really hard for it.”
The results of that hard work have been on display in Thompson’s 617 minutes across 11 appearances to date, where she’s made important contributions on both sides of the ball: 14 interceptions (tied with Sarah Gorden), 76 duels with a very respectable 59% success rate, and 12 chances created—almost two per game.
“Getting into games, there's a little bit more pressure,” said Head Coach Becki Tweed. “Playing at BMO. Those are things that she hasn’t had to do before, but she's taken it in her stride and it doesn't look like anything that she's not used to. I think when you see players take to that so quickly, you know that the time was right for them to become a pro.”
Before signing with Angel City, Gisele played for the MLS Next club Total Futbol Academy, along with Alyssa.“Playing with boys was obviously super hard, but this is just a whole different environment,” said Thompson. “And you don't realize that until you're in the game.”
Part of making that transition successfully was an increased focus on off-the-field preparation.
“When you walk into a pro environment that you're not used to,” said Tweed, “all the mechanics of recovery and lifting and nutrition, those are areas that you don't need to worry about so much as a youth soccer player that become really important. Those are areas she's jumped into and she's had to learn from experience too, with a couple of injuries that she's picked up.”
Although the day-to-day looks different from what Thompson was used to at the youth level, one crucial factor has stayed the same: her motivation and willingness to do whatever it takes to be her best.
“She’ll always come in and get her head down and do the work,” said Tweed. “She just wants to be on the field 24/7. You'll challenge G with something, and she just giggles and she says, ‘okay.’ She's always up for a challenge.”
Thompson’s next challenge is competing at the U-20 World Cup that kicks off August 31 in Colombia. The USA’s first game, against Spain on September 1 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific (you can tune in on FS2, Universo, or Telemundo), could be their toughest in the group stage.
“I'm definitely trying to score some goals and get some assists,” said Thompson. “I just like playing in that environment, getting minutes, getting time, and just gaining more confidence in myself. [I want to] be my best so I can also bring that here and bring my confidence here to 100%.”
Not that she doesn’t already have reason to be confident; in her first professional start, Thompson had one of the toughest marking assignments in the league.
“I remember talking to G about her debut at Washington Spirit,” said Tweed. “She was playing against Trinity Rodman, and she's like, ‘yeah, I’m good. No worries.’”
Thompson remembers that day a little differently. “I wasn't trying to show it, but I was so nervous!” she said. “How do you start your first game and you're against Trinity Rodman? I was nervous, but everyone was super confident in me, so that helped me gain confidence for myself.”
After that trial by fire, Thompson says everything else feels a little more manageable. “If I can guard Trinity Rodman,” she said, “I can guard anyone!”
But Thompson is also quick to credit her teammates for helping her through that challenge. “I feel super comfortable having our center backs, too, just behind me,” she added.
“She belongs and she knows she belongs, and that's such a good quality to have,” said Tweed, “But she's so humble at the same time. My job is to keep pushing her to the next thing and the next thing and the next thing, and I think her future is really bright in every aspect of this game.”