Zoe Thompson, a 14-year-old still in middle school, could become part of an unprecedented trio: three Thompson siblings on the U.S. women’s national soccer team. Coaches and scouts say she’s more technically skilled than her older sisters Alyssa and Gisele, relying on game intelligence and ball control rather than speed.
Zoe Thompson, 14, puts on cleats before practice with the Santa Clarita Blue Heat soccer team. She is playing her debut match with the team on Saturday.
Zoe Thompson, a 14-year-old still in middle school, could become part of an unprecedented trio: three Thompson siblings on the U.S. women’s national soccer team. Coaches and scouts say she’s more technically skilled than her older sisters Alyssa and Gisele, relying on game intelligence and ball control rather than speed. She’ll make her home debut with Santa Clarita Blue Heat on Saturday against elite college and professional athletes.
Few players are driven to club soccer practice by a national team player. But then few players have two sisters who play for the U.S. women’s team. But here’s the thing that truly sets Zoe Thompson apart. Although eldest sister Alyssa, 21, has already played in a World Cup and middle sister Gisele made 38 NWSL appearances and played four times for the national team before her 20th birthday, Zoe may actually be the best of the three.
I think she’s the combination between Alyssa and Gisele, said Carlos Marroquin, owner of the pre-professional women’s team that gave Alyssa and Gisele their start. So maybe there should be a line of coaches, teammates and family members waiting to drive her to practice or to her debut with Marroquin’s team, the Santa Clarita Blue Heat, on Saturday evening at The Master’s University.
The Santa Clarita Blue Heat coach Leonardo Neveleff, center, talks to his team before a practice at Valencia High. Zoe Thompson makes her debut with the team Saturday.
The team, which competes in USL W league, has long been a summer proving ground for elite college players and aspiring pros with alumni that includes Venezuela’s Deyna Castellanos, once a finalist for FIFA’s world player of the year award; World Cup veterans Savannah DeMelo and Ashley Sanchez; former Chelsea and Atlético Madrid star Ana Borges of Portugal; and Natalia Kuikka, a five-time Finnish player of the year. This year’s roster includes more than two dozen Division I college players, meaning Zoe Thompson will be playing with and against women much older than her.
She’s always having to get out of her comfort zone, no matter what, said Mario Thompson, whose job as Zoe’s father is to both nurture and protect his daughter’s talent. Zoe has followed a different path than her sisters. Alyssa and Gisele were born less than 13 months apart and grew up playing together, practicing together and pushing each other. Zoe, born seven years later, grew up watching them, imitating them and wanting to be them.
It’s clear Angel City didn’t want to upset fans by letting Alyssa Thompson transfer to Chelsea, but the move was a massive win for both player and team. Everyone sees the glam and the glitz of Alyssa and Giselle, but people don’t really understand it’s a lot of pressure. They see all the great stuff, but it’s also their job.
Mario Thompson faced some of the same issues with Alyssa, the second-youngest U.S. woman to play in a World Cup, so he limited her media interviews and tried to let her be a teenager — albeit it an exceptionally talented one. Zoe faces the additional burden of having do all that while following in her sisters’ footsteps. I’m very mindful and aware of that, he said. She’s already in the spotlight without having to be in the spotlight.
It’s that pressure. I want her to love the sport, love this journey. That’s kind of how I raised all three of them
Soccer U.S. Women's National Team Thompson Siblings Santa Clarita Blue Heat USL W League Deyna Castellanos Ana Borges Natalia Kuikka
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