This is the first in a series of 20 short columns focused on the things I'm thinking about as we approach the 20th season of Major League Soccer. I'm going to dig into mostly non-obvious questions here – the tertiary stuff that can become bigger over time – rather than the giant storylines (e.g., How do the Red Bulls replace Henry? What if Ozzie's injury lingers? Is this THE year for TFC?).
We begin in San Jose...
Like most people, I'm a Tommy Thompson fan. Like most people, I'm a Tommy Thompson fan because he tries stuff – sometimes brilliant stuff, sometimes cringe-worthy stuff, but almost always stuff you didn't see coming and stuff you didn't think he'd try if you did.
Stuff like this:
If there's one play that encapsulates the Tommy Thompson Experience thus far, this is it. Perfect close control, followed by a pair of And-1 mixtape touches in tight spots, and ... a weak shot squibbed off target. For all his genius on the ball, Thompson produced zero goals or assists in 690 MLS minutes last season. He didn't get on the scoresheet in his six games on loan for the Sacramento Republic, either
Both fanbases love him, anyway, and they're right to. New San Jose Earthquakes head coach Dom Kinnear – who's developed guys like Dwayne De Rosario, Brad Davis, Stuart Holden and Will Bruin over the last decade – is enthusiastic as well, even as he cautions against heaping too many expectations onto the kid. Thompson is, as Kinnear points out, just 19.
At 19 or 29, or any stop in between, Thompson's technique stands out. Or part of it does, anyway, because as Johan Cruyff said, technique is not just the ability to juggle or to control the ball in close quarters. Technique is "passing the ball with one touch, with the right speed, at the right foot of your teammate."
Thompson needs to start doing that. If the TomThom Hype Train starts when you first see him touch the ball, it ends when you see him try to finish plays – plays that usually end with a squib, or a potentially killer pass that falls short of a teammate. There were flashes of progress with the US U-20s, though even in his best moments he showed a tendency to mis-hit the ball.
Thompson, to his credit, knows he has to be better in the final third. I'm thinking he'll eventually get there, matching productivity to potential.
At that point, it'll be all aboard the Hype Train. In the meantime, just try to enjoy the first few stops on the journey.
