18-year old Filipino American makes her World Cup debut

Alyssa Thompson  takes control of the ball in the World Cup match against Vietnam.

Alyssa Thompson, the teenage phenom on the United States Women's National Football Team made her World Cup debut July 22 playing alongside her soccer idols.

The US women were ahead 3-0 and in control in the second half of its first 2023 World Cup game against Vietnam, when manager Vlatko Andonovski in the 75th minute, called on the Filipino/Peruvian American to go into the game, subbing for starter Trinity Rodman.

And that may be Andonovski's way to get the teams youngest member and budding star valuable international experience in a real-game situation with minimum pressure: when the opponent is tired, put in  Thompson known for her speed and nimble ball-handling.

Now that the young Californian, who plays for the first-year pro team, Angels FC, is over her nerves, no doubt we'll see more of her as an aggressive forward.

"I was pretty nervous just to play my first World Cup game," said Alyssa after the game. "But once I was on the sideline, I was kind of overcome with happiness and excitement, just because I was going into my first World Cup, and I wasn't feeling any other emotion. 

“But once I stepped on,” she said, “obviously all the nerves go away, and I’m just ready to play soccer and win the game.”

“She improvises and you never know what she is going to do,” said  Andonovski. “She can do one-on-one or one-on-two and can use her right or left foot. It is very difficult to mark her because she is so creative.”

Playing without the pressure of having to score is good for Alyssa, who is expected to be eventually become one of the stars of the United States' next generation of soccer stars that includes Rodman and Sophia Smith, both of whom were also playing their first World Cup match. Smith scored two goals in the game against Vietnam.

The three also represent the new diversity emerging in the sport that in the 1990s after the US won its first World Cup. The leagues that sprung up inspired the stars such as Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain gained a reputation as  a sport for white suburban girls.

Alyssa first began getting attention of the soccer world when she was 14-years old and not only playing on a boys team, but outperforming them. Playing with the boys through high school got her used to the more physical game.

This Spring when she was still studying for her high school finals, Alyssa was the first player picked in the pro-league draft when the Angel City FC drafted her.

She earned a call-up to the national team last year and played in a match in England, subbing in for one of her idols Megan Rapinoe. “Even now, every time I see her I’m starstruck,” Alyssa admitted last month. “I don’t believe that I’m her teammate. It’s crazy to me.”

“I look up to so many people on this team,” Alyssa said.

A former coach said she could be for soccer what Serena Williams is for tennis.

“You’re going to think I’m crazy, but I’m not joking,” said Carlos Marroquin, coach and owner of the semi-pro Santa Clarita Blue Heat. “In another two or three years, Alyssa is going to be the best player in the US and the world.”

FYI: The next World Cup match for the US is against the Netherlands on Thursday, July 27, in Wellington, New Zealand. Because of the International Dateling, US fans can view the game July 26, 6 p.m. PDT on FS1.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the  blog Views From the Edge.

Filipino enough? Women’s soccer team represents the Filipino diaspora at the FIFWorld Cup

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Most members of the Philippines women's national soccer team were not born in the Philippines.

UPDATED: July 20, 5 PM to include television times for North America.

The women athletes come from California, Texas, Australia, Iceland and Europe. They come together to represent the Philippines in the the FIFA World Cup of women's football (for you from North America, that's soccer).

Eighteen players of the 23-member Philippine women's national soccer team line-up  were born in the United States where they grew up and learned the beautiful game.

The days when critics complained that the players were not Filipino enough are behind them. After qualifying for the World Cup, the first time a team from the Philippines qualified, the team members are being embraced by the local Filipino community and Philippine Embassy.  When they arrived in Aukland, New Zealand the crowd of Filipinos greeted them with cheers and an inspirational song.

When they won a bronze medal at the Southeast Asian Games and later qualified for the FIFA World Cup with a team that included only four Philippine-born players, some people questioned if the foreign-born players should represent the Philippines because, say the critics, "not Filipino" even though their racial heritage included at least one Filipino parent.

“It makes me feel bad, especially for some of the girls," says forward Chandler McDaniel, who was born in Orange, California and honed her skills playing for Virginia Tech and transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

"Some people haven’t been really accepting but I think when you’re Filipino, you’re Filipino. You don’t need someone to tell you if you are, or you aren’t. We don’t need someone to tell us … because we know.”

That controversy may have been one of the reasons the team changed its name from the "Malditas," which in some contexts can have a negative connotation, to the more politically correct, "Filipinas."

The Philippines squad is in Group A along with co-host New Zealand, Switzerland and 12th-ranked Norway. If US audiences want to watch the Filipinas' matches, they would have to get up early in the morning. (See Schedule, below)

Watch Philippines Women's World Cup Schedule on FS1 channel.

Not unexpectedly, the 49th-ranked Filipinas are underdogs in each match. The Philippine team hopes they can have a Cinderella round going against the odds.

The turnaround for the Philippines women was with the hiring of Australian coach Alan Stajcic, who had guided Australia's Matildas to the 2016 Olympics.

"For me personally, I've said it publicly already, (coaching the Filipinas) is probably the best achievement so far of my coaching career," he said.

The Filipino players "haven't been spoiled by the trappings of professional sport or elite sport and were really grateful for everything they were given because previously they were given very little, having that gratitude and having that humility within the group, having that collective vision, I don't want this team to lose it," said Stajcic.

He had 10 weeks in California to get to know the individual players and mold them into a team for international play. It was in the middle of the COVID lockdown so many of the players were out of condition. It wasn't until the ninth week of competing against "friendlies" of other national and local teams that all of the Filipno players had played an entire 90 minutes each.

Most of the US-based players played for their college teams or with professional clubs not only in the US but also Europe, Japan and Australia.

One of the players that other teams will focus on is Sarina Bolden, who is from Milpitas, Calif. Bolden played for Loyola Marymount University in California before  playing in the US, Sweden, Taiwan and Japan. She has been with an Australian team, the Western Sydney Wanderers since 2022.

She sets an example for the rest of the players with her all-out style of play, inspiring others to give their all too.

“I’m a player who has energy,” she told fifa.com. “I try my best to bring that energy and keep the tempo high. And I think I’m a leader on the field. All of that makes me the player that I am.” 

Coach Stajcic named the roster for New Zealand July 8. They include:

• GK: Olivia McDaniel (Milwaukee Panthers)
• GK: Kiara Fontanilla (Central Coast Mariners, Aus.)
• GK: Kaiya Jota (Stanford Cardinal)
• DF: Alicia Barker (Pacific Northwest)
• DF: Angela Beard (Western Union, Aus.)
• DF: Reina Bonta (Santos, Brazil)
• DF: Malea Cesar (Blacktown City, Aus.)
• DF: Jessika Cowart (IFK Kalmar, Sweden)
• DF: Hali Long (Kaya–Iloilo)
• DF: Dominique Randle (Por/KA, Iceland)
• MF: Tahnai Annis (Por/KA, Iceland)
• MF: Ryley Bugay (Germany Saarbrucken)
• MF: Anicka Castañeda (Mt Druitt Town Rangers, Aus.)
• MF: Sara Eggesvik (Norway KIL/Hemne)
• MF: Carleigh Frilles (Blacktown Spartans)
• MF: Isabella Pasion (Lebanon Trail High School, Texas)
• MF: Jaclyn Sawicki (Western United, Aus.)
• FW: Katrina Guillou (Pitea IF, Sweden)
• FW: Sarina Bolden (Western Sydney Wanderers, Aus.)
• FW: Isabella Flanigan (West Virginia Mountaineers)
• FW: Chandler McDaniel (Milwaukee Panthers)
• FW: Quinley Quezada (Red Star Belgrade)
• FW: Meryll Serrano (Norway Stabaek)

The Filipinas proudly celebrated after their historic win qualifying them for the World Cup.

The youngest player is 16-year old Isabella Pasion from Frisco, Texas. As a reserve, she might not see any playing time, but if she does play, she'll be one of the youngest players in a world cup, male or female. 

Reina Bonta is the daughter of California's Attorney General Rob Bonta. She plays for Santos, one of the most popular teams in Brazil. Santos fans have already dubbed her "Queen Bonta."

“We’re always finding ways to improve on the ball and off the ball, tactics, set pieces, always focusing on our mentality," Stajcic told the Philippines Inquirer.

“We’re always fine tuning and always looking at those details in improving as an individual or as a whole group. I think we’re all just really excited to get to the starting line,” said the coach.

"The team spirit has been fantastic (and I) can’t fault any one of the players,” Stajcic said after the Filipinas’ second training session in Auckland, New Zealand. “It’s such a beautiful group to work with and train with.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @eduardodiok on Threads.net, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at his blog Views From the Edge.