Alyssa and Gisele Thompson were born a year apart but grew up more like twins. “We're kind of together 24/7,” says 20-year-old Alyssa. “But it’s really nice.” They do nearly everything together. That has included almost every step of their athletic careers.
They both ran track. They played soccer together, quickly becoming two of the most prominent female youth players in the country, honing their skills alongside boys on an MLS NEXT team near their home in Southern California. They became some of the first high school athletes to land name, image and likeness deals with Nike, signing at the same time. And they assumed the next step would be playing college soccer together.
