This summer, Angel City forward Alyssa Thompson became the second-youngest player ever named to a World Cup roster for the US Women's National Team. She earned her first World Cup minutes in the team's 3–0 win over Vietnam, subbing in for Trinity Rodman in the second half. We talked to Thompson about her experience in Aotearoa New Zealand and what it's been like rejoining ACFC.
How would you sum up your experience at the World Cup?
I would sum it up as a really good learning experience. I think I left the World Cup really hungry for more. I really want to make the next roster and definitely continue to play better and become a starter for the full team. That whole experience was really cool, because I was surrounded by a lot of veterans and they had a lot of World Cup experience. They taught me a lot about what to expect, and I feel like if I make the next one, it will be a lot easier.
As much as it was disappointing the US didn't make it further in the tournament, this team has such a good group of exciting young players right now: you, Trinity Rodman, and Sophia Smith, just to name a few.
Yeah, it's really exciting having a lot of younger players on the team, and they helped me a lot throughout the tournament too, just knowing how I was feeling. They've been in my situation before and it was just super fun being around them. They're all really cool people, so having a chance to just be around them more and learn from them since they're a little bit older than me is pretty cool. I'm excited to keep growing those friendships.
What did you learn from your World Cup experience?
I think I learned what it means to, like, have a family within a team. We always had each other's backs, no matter what the media or anyone was saying. We stayed focused on the 23 that were actually playing and doing the work, keeping a united front. No one on the team went against each other. That was really helpful to the team environment.
What's it been like rejoining your club? Was it hard to get back into the groove, or was it nice to have something to shift your focus to?
I think both. It was kind of tough coming in, since I wasn't with the team for a while. It's just hard mentally getting back into something different. I didn't think I needed to prep myself for that transition, but I did. But I was also happy to come home and be back with the team just because I knew we were on a really good streak and like I wanted to get back to playing and be with my teammates and stuff.
We're closing in on the end of the season and the playoff race is tight. How is the team's mentality around this final push for the postseason?
I think we're all really excited and happy with how we've been playing. We also know we can even put in a little more and be more clinical in our chances and defending and stuff like that. So we're excited to play our next games and to try to make playoffs. I know the team is really determined to do that. We're all working together toward that same goal, which is really nice and I think that's going to help us a lot in trying to get into the playoffs.