SAN JOSE, Calif. – As the final moments of extra time wound down in the San Jose Earthquakes’ fourth-round US Open Cup match against Sacramento Republic FC on Tuesday night, Quakes attacker Tommy Thompson found his mind drifting some 6,500 miles away, to New Zealand and the U-20 World Cup.
Thompson had barely been back in the United States for 24 hours, and the memories of his last penalty-kick shootout were still raw – made all the more so by the fact that had been removed after 103 minutes in the US U-20 national team’s quarterfinal against Serbia on Sunday. Thompson therefore never got a chance to shoot; Joel Sonora, who replaced him, missed his attempt, and the US went down to a 6-5 PK defeat.
Thompson, who came on at halftime against Sacramento, did his part to ensure a different outcome this time after the teams fought to a 2-2 tie in 120 minutes. Facing a do-or-die shot, the 19-year-old swept the ball confidently to the right of Republic goalkeeper Patrick McLain, extending a shootout that the Quakes would eventually win by a matching 6-5 score.
“Yeah, actually, that’s what I was thinking,” Thompson told reporters of his bystander status in Sunday’s shootout. “Getting pulled off in the 105th minute was tough when we ended up losing in the PKs. So I wanted to avenge our loss and we did that successfully.”
It was a quick turnaround for Thompson, who said he “basically slept” after getting home late Monday afternoon until it was time to head to Avaya Stadium on Tuesday. Though he might have been tired, the identity of San Jose’s opponent had an invigorating effect.
“When I saw we were playing Sac Republic, of course I’m going to want to play against my hometown team,” said Thompson, who went to high school in Granite Bay, a half-hour outside the state capital. “It’s a fun game for us, playing in the Open Cup. I wanted to be a part of it, regardless of my traveling situation.”
Thompson came in on the right wing, allowing
JJ Koval
to move back to central defense after starting center backs
Ty Harden
and
Paulo Renato
both suffered muscle strains late in the first half. His dipping shot in the 84th minute gave Sacramento pause before curling over the crossbar.
Thompson’s presence on the wing might have been forced by injury, but it will bring up a possibility sure to pique San Jose supporters wanting to see more of the Quakes’ first (and still only) Homegrown player.
Coach Dominic Kinnear has used Thompson almost exclusively in the center of the pitch to this point, which has left him stuck behind Designated Player Matias Perez Garcia on the depth chart. If Kinnear sees Thompson as an option on the wings, that might be one way to spark an offense that’s averaging just 1.00 goals per match in MLS play.
Whatever the case, Thompson stands ready to put the lessons of New Zealand to the test.
“It was unbelievable,” Thompson said. “Representing the United States in a World Cup, at any [age] level is a huge honor. And that was a dream come true for me. … It’s huge for my development. “Playing against some of the best young players in the world is a huge opportunity because you can see how you stack up against them. It shows everyone who’s watching how far the US has come, and the future is bright, so it was rewarding to experience such success in New Zealand. I’m excited for what’s to come with U.S. Soccer.”
And maybe, at the end of the MLS season, Thompson can get a chance to really look back on the last 18 months spent chasing a spot on Tab Ramos’ roster.
“It’s weird to train so hard and think so much about one tournament,” Thompson said. “It was a long road to get there, and for me to come back here, it started to settle in that it was all over. It’s a little sad but we can be proud of how we represented the United States, so we can hold our heads high.”
