Gisele Thompson is becoming impossible for Emma Hayes to ignore | OneFootball

The United States Women's National Team took home another She Believes Cup title. It was behind the legs of new and young players. While Alyssa Thompson continues her star power, it another player with the same last name that may have emerged on the roster.

Alyssa's younger sister, Gisele Thompson was featured heavily throughout the tournament and proved her mettle and also proved that she is more than just the younger sister of Alyssa.

Gisele Thompson is only 20 years old but played a full 90 minutes for two games

She played both the first two games Argentina and Columbia. It was her third appearance on the national team in 2026. She has played on both the senior team and U23 team the last few years, but her performance may make her a mainstay on the senior team moving forward.

Against archrival Canada, Thompson won all eight of her defensive duels during the She Believes Cup game. Stats only tell a part of the story, but when Hayes sees that type of aggressiveness it could what propels the 20-year-old to the top of Hayes mind as 2026 enters 2027 for the World Cup.

In 2023, her older sister Alyssa, was a part of the World Cup roster. She made her first appearance in the opening game in a 3-0 victory against Vietnam. Gisele was on hand and was in Australia during the tournament to watch her sister perform. Now though, she seems poised to make a move to be on the pitch just like Alyssa.

What will be important for Gisele is to continue to stay on Emma Hayes radar by playing well as right back for Angel City of the NWSL. The season kicks off this week, and Thompson has a golden opportunity to continue to make a strong case to be a part of the World Cup in 2027.

The World Cup in two years will be a huge moment for the National Team and an even bigger changing of the guard. There will not be many players from 2023 who make the roster in 2027. However, the likes of stars such Alyssa and Trinity Rodman will continue to be a part of the team.

If Gisele wants to make her move, performing the way she did enroute to a She Believes Cup medal is the start of how to do it. There is still plenty of time to continue to show Coach Hayes what she can do.