Gisele Thompson agrees to new Angel City deal, becoming one of NWSL’s top-paid players
- Share via
As Angel City was agreeing to let winger Alyssa Thompson leave for Chelsea on the richest transfer in women’s soccer history Thursday, the club was also signing Thompson’s younger sister, Gisele, to her third contract in 21 months, locking the teenage defender up until the end of the 2029 season.
Financial terms of the agreement were not released but it will likely make her among the best-paid players in the NWSL.
“At age 19, she is already one of the most exciting players in the world,” Angel City sporting director Mark Parsons said in a statement. “We will continue to support her as she develops as a pro and elevates her game. She is making a significant impact on the club and we look forward to many more years with her as part of the Angel City family.”
The Women’s Super League power beat the transfer-window deadline to sign Angel City and U.S. national team star Alyssa Thompson.
Gisele Thompson, 19, signed a three-year contract with Angel City in December 2023, when she was halfway through her senior year at the Harvard-Westlake School. That deal reportedly included a base salary of $525,000 in addition to a housing stipend and other benefits that drove the overall value to well over $600,000.
Thirteen months later she signed a two-year extension to stay with the team through 2028. On Thursday the club added another year, retaining Gisele’s rights through 2029. A team spokesperson said the new deal is not an extension but an entirely new contract.
Yet that doesn’t mean Gisele Thompson will be with Angel City through 2029. Her sister also signed a contract extension last January, one that was intended to keep her with the team through 2028. But she went to Chelsea anyway after the English club offered a record $1.65 million transfer fee.
Gisele has also drawn significant interest in Europe and now that her sister and roommate has left Angel City, she has even more reason to leave. Signing her to new, longer contract gives the team additional leverage and control should European teams coming looking to buy.
Cindy Parlow Cone, president of U.S. Soccer, will do something that has never been done before when she becomes the first female national federation head to preside over a World Cup.
Thompson, a speedy outside back and excellent one-on-one defender, has made 29 total appearances for Angel City since joining the club ahead of the 2024 season. She currently leads the team with four assists and scored her first professional goal last May, on an assist from her sister, making it the first sister-to-sister goal in league history.
She also has four caps with the senior national team, the first coming on Feb. 20. Three days later she started alongside Alyssa against Australia, making the Thompsons the second pair of sisters to play in the same match for the USWNT.
Angel City (6-7-5) is ninth in the 14-team NWSL table, one place and one point out of a playoff berth with eight games left heading into Sunday’s match with Gotham FC in Harrison, N.J.
