MLS San Jose Earthquakes

Earthquakes Sign Sacramento Area Native Tommy Thompson as Club's First Homegrown Player

January 22, 2014 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release


SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the club has signed Loomis, Calif. native Tommy Thompson as the team's first Homegrown Player. Per league and team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Earthquakes presented Thompson in a press conference this morning at the site of the club's new stadium on Coleman Ave. in San Jose. Photos, video highlights and audio are available from the press conference by reaching out to Frank Stranzl at fstranzl@sjearthquakes.com.

Thompson, 18, led Indiana to a Big-Ten Tournament title in his freshman season, helping the Hoosiers reach the NCAA Tournament in the process. He led his team with five goals and three assists in 16 games. For his efforts, Thompson was named the Big-Ten Freshman of the Year and earned Big-Ten Second-Team All-Conference honors. Nationally, TopDrawerSoccer.com and College Soccer News tabbed him for their NCAA Freshman Best XI teams.

"We're really excited about Tommy coming on board," said Earthquakes head coach Mark Watson. "He's a young local player who we've had in our academy program and has been training with us for some time. We believe that he has a bright professional career ahead of him and look forward to his arrival in San Jose."

Before departing for Indiana, Thompson suited up for the Earthquakes in 2013 Reserve League action. He led the team with four assists in his five appearances, three of which were starts.

"Tommy is an exciting young player with a lot of potential. He's an attack-minded midfielder who can score goals and we're thrilled to have him as our club's first Homegrown Player," said Earthquakes general manager John Doyle.

Thompson attended Granite Bay High School in the Sacramento area where he helped turn the Grizzlies into one of the top prep teams in the nation. He scored 29 goals and had 12 assists while helping Granite Bay to a 26-0-1 record as a freshman. He followed that up with 23 goals and nine assists one year later before missing his junior season due to injury. He graduated early with a 4.1 grade-point average to continue his career at Indiana along with his brother, Tanner. His dad, Gregg Thompson, was an All-American at Indiana and represented the United States at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. In addition to his prep work, Thompson was a standout for Placer United, one of the premier club teams in the Sacramento area.

"Having worked with the Earthquakes Youth Academy since its establishment, it's great to see Tommy become the club's first Homegrown Player," said Earthquakes Academy manager Fred Wilson. "Between Tommy's time in the Academy and with his dad's team, Placer United and Placer Blues, he has become one of the top young prospects in the nation. We're thrilled to see him move on to the senior team and wish him the best."

Transaction: San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) - San Jose Earthquakes sign M Tommy Thompson as Homegrown Player.

Tommy Thompson

Position: Midfielder

Height: 5-7

Weight: 145 lbs.

Born: Aug. 15, 1995 in Hinsdale, Illinois

Hometown: Loomis, Calif.

College: Indiana

Citizenship: USA

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