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Fil-Am Gisele Thompson signs with Angel City Football Club

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Steve Angeles | TFC News Los Angeles

<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LQplr0MHvDc?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>It was the ultimate present for a Filipino-American prodigy on her 18th birthday.Gisele Thompson got a birthday cake and her new uniform from her new employers, the Angel City Football Club of the National Women’s Soccer League.Angel City FC signed Thompson just a few days before she turned 18, using the NWSL’s under 18 mechanism that allows clubs to sign youth players with parental consent.Last season, Angel City took her sister Alyssa Thompson straight out of high school as the top draft pick at 18 years old.&quot;I’ve watched Alyssa go through all this and seeing her do it, it’s just amazing,&quot; said Gisele. &quot;So, [I&#x27;m] going through with it too, it’s even bigger of a deal.&quot;Alyssa had scored four goals during her rookie season which helped Angel City to its first playoff berth.She is currently on the U.S. National Women’s Team, and has had the chance to scrimmage against the Philippine Women’s Team.Gisele, meanwhile, is part of the U.S. Women’s Youth National team.The defender spent the past season training with Angel City alongside her sister.However, she waited until the final minute to make her decision in signing a three-year-plus one year deal with the club, as she considered accepting a scholarship offer from Stanford.&quot;When she ultimately decided I was very happy,&quot; said Alyssa. &quot;I love doing everything with Gisele and I just always feel more comfortable when she’s around me. Having her at practice now all the time and at games and away trips, it’s my dream come true, honestly.&quot;Angel City FC was formed in 2020 and has continued to grow since.For the Thompson sisters, whose family has lived in Los Angeles for nearly a century, they are ready for the responsibility of building up LA’s professional women’s soccer team.&quot;We have big aspirations and visions for Angel City,&quot; said ACFC president Julie Uhrman. &quot;2024 is our year. We’re going all the way and we are going to get there.&quot;The Thompson family takes pride in all the cultures they represent, especially their Filipino roots.Mario Thompson’s mother Susan was born to Filipino immigrants who arrived in the U.S. from the Visayas and Mindanao in the 1920s.The family also has African-American, roots while, the girls&#x27; mother Karen is Peruvian.Mario himself had attempted to play basketball in the Philippine Basketball Association.Said Gisele: &quot;We want to represent our cultures really well and we want to make them proud. Hopefully, we’re doing our job.&quot;And with two professional soccer players already in the family, a third one may be on the way.Twelve-year-old Zoe has also picked up on the sport, and already has a pair of role models to look up to.While the Thompson sisters grew up playing soccer together, this will be the first time they’ll share the pitch in two years. But that wait will soon be over when the NWSL season begins in the spring time.

Gisele Thompson is going pro as she signs a three-year plus one contract with the Angel City Football Club.