Sisters Alyssa and Gisele Thompson know first-hand about the pressures of playing on the World Cup stage, so they empathize with what the U.S. men’s team is feeling as they take the field on American soil, advancing to the Round of 32.
“I think when you think about pressure, not letting it affect you because you can rely on your practice and what you’ve done before is really important,” Alyssa, 21, says to Muscle & Fitness exclusively while partnering with Verizon for their enhanced loyalty program, Verizon Shine, giving customers a chance to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences like seeing the World Cup finals. “And I think the men are super prepared for what’s ahead of them.”
Both stars agree that pressure is inevitable at this level, but it’s how you respond to it that can define a performance.
“I feel like it’s always a lot of pressure playing for your country because you do want to win,” adds Gisele, 20. “You’re pressed with honor and you want to win, and I think every game is going to be a hard game. So having that pressure of wanting to win and wanting to play your best, in front of your country and wanting to win, like that’s kind of the biggest thing. I think kind of coming together and blocking out that noise and controlling what you can control is really important.”
Alyssa played forward and winger in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup for Team USA. Prior to that, the Chelsea FC star played in the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.
The younger Thompson sister, who plays as a defender for Angel City FC, played on the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup team in Colombia and was a key component to helping lead them advance to the knockout stage.
Sisters Aim for 2027 Women’s World Cup
Both siblings have a strong case to make the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup team.
While neither sister got to play their tournament games on American soil, they know what it’s like to play at home in Los Angeles and how important that advantage is for the men.
“I think having your fans there to support you and your country kind of standing behind you gives you more motivation to want to work harder and want to win for your country,” says Gisele. “I think even when the other team turns over the ball, just hearing the crowd cheer louder for you, kind of pumps me up. I know everyone else gets more motivation to want to work harder and win. So, I think it’s definitely an advantage.”
For Gisele, that crowd energy doesn’t just fuel performance—it also helps reframe the pressure that comes with the moment.
“Having the fans behind you, and I know that people will probably feel the pressure, but it’s more about just feeling the pride and the passion from the fans,” adds Gisele. “And that’s kind of how you can block out that pressure.”
Although the tournament stakes are high, both sisters admit they didn’t train any differently but tried to focus on creating similarities for their respective tournaments.
“I feel like something that definitely helped was training in the environments that we were going to play in and kind of getting used to what that was going to look like,” Gisele says. “Especially, heat or elevation, just getting used to those areas. And just like playing in front of big crowds for the first time was something that I think a lot of us haven’t experienced before. I think for a lot of us, since it was our first time doing it together was really important, but I think the overall experience was really fun.”
“I feel like training with Angel City, I was just trying my best to get better, like 1% better every day,” adds Alyssa. “I don’t think I changed too much leading up to the World Cup just because I think it was really up in the air for me. I was still a first-year pro and still learning a lot about what it meant to play at this level.”
Learning to Chill Out Before Kickoff
To calm their emotions, the sisters rely on self talk while finding the right thing to listen to before gametime.
“For me, I feel like I listen to calm music before I play,” says Alyssa. “I don’t really like to get amped up too much before I play because then I get stressed and I feel like my body feels like I already played a game before I go on the field. So I try to calm down with music and also just like, my thoughts. Reminding myself of my preparation, and just being confident in my abilities and what I bring.”
Like Alyssa, Gisele leans on a pregame routine built around music and visualization to settle her nerves and lock in.
“I feel like I get really nervous before games, so just putting on music and kind of staying in my own space I feel like really helps me,” adds Gisele. “Kind of picturing the game and the things that I want to do well on the field and just kind of the first simple pass and my first touches, I think I really focus on. That’s my kind of before game routine.”
The tournament can go on for weeks, so the sisters recommend resting and refueling when possible is crucial for the team to peak at the right time.
“I think it’s very different each time because of what time the game is,” says Alyssa. “If I’m having a late game, I have a routine of when I eat, especially having big meals in the morning, and then I’ll have smaller meals throughout the day. But if it’s an earlier game, I’ll probably just have one big meal and then just some snacks. I like to take naps before because I don’t want to be tired before my game. Or when I get into the game and kind of resting my mind, and I feel I overthink a lot about the game, so kind of just resetting my brain and calming myself down in those moments when I can. And, kind of sometimes distracting myself– watching a show or listening to music I find helps me kind of calm myself down.”
Gisele echoes that game-day rhythm, leaning on both smart fueling and strategic naps to make sure she’s at her peak.
“Fueling is really important to help peak during the game,” adds Gisele. Also, sometimes I take naps, to make me feel energized. I think it’s mostly just like what you eat throughout the day to make sure when it comes game time, you feel your best and have enough energy to sustain throughout the game.”
How to Move On from World Cup Disappointment
While the USWNT was eliminated in the round of 16 in 2023, Alyssa still has fond memories of what it was like to walk on to such a large stage in her career.
“Honestly, I was in awe during that moment,” admits Alyssa. “I was pretty young and I couldn’t believe that I was at the World Cup. It was really cool, and I probably should think about it more, but I don’t because it feels like such a long time ago and that tournament obviously didn’t go as we wanted, so I kind of tried to honestly erase it.”
Looking back now, Alyssa says that experience reshaped how she processes both disappointment and growth on the big stage.
“I think as players, we learn a lot to forget the things that don’t serve us and kind of have a short-term memory because we can never get too high or never get too low on things,” she continues. I think it’s something that is a learning lesson for our team, but also something that we don’t need to harp on going into the next tournament.”
With the men’s finals being held at Met Life Stadium later in July, the Thompson’s are hoping to make some fans’ dreams a reality with tickets to the game alongside soccer legend David Beckham. Verizon users should be prepared to head to their apps and register for sweepstakes’ like this and more on Mondays all summer long. Interacting with the fans has become more than just the game for this partnership as the conversation quickly turned from winning tickets to more personal inquiries.
“It was super fun just talking to a bunch of people who were so passionate about soccer and I think even gifting them the tickets, I think they were so interested in our story as well,” says Gisele who handed out thousands of golden tickets before the World Cup with Verizon. I keep saying this one story like, I told them, ‘Oh, you’re winning FIFA World Cup tickets,’ and then they were like, ‘Can I ask you one more question?’ They really didn’t care. They kind of wanted to know more about my story, which I thought was really cool, but seeing how much they care and how excited they were was something that we’ll never forget.”
Both ladies admit they have their sights on making a go at the next FIFA Women’s World Cup, but for now, they’re cheering on the men with all they’ve got.
“You’re going to make us proud no matter what the result is,” says Alyssa. “Just win your battles, work hard and put everything into it.”
Building off that, her sister keeps the focus on belief in the work they’ve already done.
“I would say trust your preparation,” adds Gisele. “They’ve been preparing for this tournament for a while, so just knowing that you’ve done everything that you can to get to the point where you are, and now, it’s just go time.”
