High schooler Alyssa Thompson debuts on U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team
Still a month shy of her 18th birthday, Californian high school student Alyssa Thompson has made her U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team debut.
Thompson subbed into the friendly on Friday against England in the 83rd minute, becoming the 70th teenager to earn a cap for the team and the youngest to step on the pitch since Mallory Pugh in January 2016.
This is just the latest of Thompson’s forays into soccer at the national level. She was the second-youngest player on the U.S. U-20 World Cup team in August. Currently, she plays for both Total Futbol Academy’s U-17 team in MLS Next and Santa Clarita Blue Heat in the United Women’s Soccer League, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
Thompson broke out as a sophomore at Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), where she recorded 48 goals and 14 assists over just 18 games, leading the Wolverines to an undefeated championship season. She was named Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year, just the second sophomore girls soccer player to do so.
She did not play soccer at Harvard-Westlake in the 2021-22 season.
At 17 years and 334 days old, Alyssa Thompson is the 70th teenager all-time to earn a cap for the USWNT and the youngest player to debut for the USA since January of 2016 when Mallory Pugh made her debut at 17 years and 269 days of age. pic.twitter.com/COnb5BKkkb
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) October 7, 2022
Thompson, like her younger sister Gisele, is committed to play for Stanford at the collegiate level. The pair became the first high school students to sign a name, image and likeness deal with Nike.
She told the Daily News that she intends to play at Stanford and hopes to be on the national team in three to four years.
