Teenage phenom Gisele Thompson signs with NWSL’s Angel City FC, joining sister Alyssa

Angel City FC has signed Los Angeles-native defender Gisele Thompson through the NWSL 2025 Season with an option for 2026.

Thompson signed her contract with ACFC on November 28, four days prior to her 18th birthday via the NWSL U-18 Entry Mechanism. She is the youngest player ever to sign with the club, joining her sister Alyssa Thompson, who is 13 months older.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Angel City to take this next step in my soccer career,” said Thompson. “It’s such a great organization with an awesome fan base. Being from Los Angeles, I’m really looking forward to trying to bring a championship to my hometown. Having been able to watch Alyssa’s pro transition this past year, I’ve been able to really see what it takes to succeed at that level. I’m confident I can come in and contribute, and am also excited for all the growth and learnings ahead.”

“Gisele is an incredibly exciting player with endless potential,” said Angel City General Manager Angela Hucles Mangano. “The opportunity to discover and develop talent from our own backyard is really important to us, and Gisele’s success on the field in her youth career speaks for itself. While she will be joining her sister on our squad, Gisele will no doubt make her own impact on our environment and among the team.”

Thompson is currently a senior at Harvard-Westlake School in Studio City, CA, where she and her sister Alyssa, ACFC’s 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick, became the first high school student-athletes Nike partnered with in 2021. Before signing with the club, Thompson was committed to compete for Stanford University’s women’s soccer team in the fall of 2024 upon graduation.

Thompson has been a stalwart defender and consistent starter for the U.S. National Youth Teams, recently earning a bronze medal at the Pan American Games, a silver medal at the 2023 Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship, and a gold medal at the 2022 Concacaf Women’s U-17 Championship. She also competed at the 2022 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Additionally, Thompson won a state regional championship with Harvard-Westlake in 2021 and a United Women’s Soccer semi-pro championship with Santa Clarita Blue Heat in 2021, both alongside sister Alyssa. Most recently, Thompson has been competing with Total Futbol Academy, an MLS Next boys’ team.