NWSL Season Preview 2024: 10 newcomers to watch

1. Gisele Thompson

Age is merely a number. Talent has no age minimum. That's the mentality that defined Angel City FC's offseason approach, signing three players under the age of 20. The first one is Alyssa Thompson's younger sister Gisele Thompson. The 18-year-old penned a three-year deal with ACFC in early December, a little over a month after representing the United States U-19 side at the 2023 Pan American Games down in Chile.

Thompson, a full-back my nature should make a seamless transition into Becki Tweed's team after training with them at times last year. It isn't just technical ability, the California native has shown she can be quite the well-rounded full-back. Defensively, she'll make those crunching tackles. Her speed, and trackback ability allow her to add support down the flanks going forward. We'll see if she starts from day one, but by the time the campaign has concluded, Thompson should be a consistent rotational player for Tweed.

The NWSL regular-season opener between KC Current and Portland Thorns FC kicks off at 1:00 p.m. EST on March 16 at CPKC Stadium. It will be broadcast live on ABC and ESPN+.