Angel City Football Club (FC), Los Angeles’s National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team, signed soccer player Gisele Thompson ’24 to a three year contract Nov. 28. The deal was signed days before Thompson’s 18th birthday on Dec. 2 so that Angel City FC could sign her without her entering the draft. Thompson will join her older sister Alyssa Thompson ’23 and Ali Riley ’06 on Angel City FC.
In an interview with ESPN, Gisele Thompson said she is amazed that she will be playing professional soccer at such a young age.
“It feels surreal,” Thompson said. “I could have never imagined going pro at this young age. I’ve always thought, ‘Oh, I’m going to Stanford. I’m going to college.’ This was never even a thought in my mind that I would go pro this early, but I’m so excited.”
Gisele Thompson will finish her last semester of classes while playing for Angel City FC. Head of Athletics Terry Barnum said he is in awe of the success the Thompson sisters have achieved given their age.
“What Alyssa [Thompson] and Gisele [Thompson] have been able to do is something we’re not likely to see again for quite some time,” Barnum said. “To be a professional athlete and be able to compete at that level is difficult. The fact that they both were able to attain that level of achievement at age 18 is simply amazing. We’re talking about athletes at the level of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. The Thompsons are there. We’re happy that they are a part of our community and that they are members of our school.”
Girls Soccer Program Head Richard Simms said he is confident in Gisele Thompson’s ability to play at the professional level given her mature play style and work ethic.
“Gisele [Thompson] is a very unselfish player and person,” Simms said. “She is an amazing playmaker and facilitator and makes other people look good. It is so much fun to watch her play because to be spectacular and unselfish is a fun combination.”
Barnum said the Thompson sisters’ achievements are a testament to the school’s academic and athletic prowess.
“It shows that if you are an elite athlete, and you want to try to compete at the highest level, we’re a place that can help you in that journey,” Barnum said. “The Thompsons saw that when they chose to send their daughters here, and more and more families are seeing that if you want a great athletic experience to go along with an outstanding academic experience, Harvard-Westlake is a place that you should take a look at. We’re proud that we can provide our students with both excellence in athletics as well as academics.”
