Let’s talk about Wells Thompson

By: Sabin | April 11th, 2007

I wanted to do this right after Saturday’s game, because I was immediately impressed with the way Wells Thompson approached his role. How can I describe it? A kind of lanky, off-balance grace that was just odd enough to keep the Fire at bay long enough for him to get a pass off.

At first glance, this guy looks crazy; like he doesn’t belong on the field at all. Ball dropping off of his feet, body swaying this way and that, off rhythm kind of run. Then it hits you. He’s never really out of control. Take a look at this scene.

Thompson is on the far side of the area with the ball at his feet. A Fire defender’s in front of him, blocking his way in. Thompson leans widely to the left without moving the ball. and watches as the Fire player leans with him. Again Thompson leans. Again his opponent matches his move. Thompson takes off to his right with the ball, passes into the area. The Fire player gets burned. That’s the kind of thing I love!

This crazy, testing-the-other-team kind of play. It’s a bit silly and goofy, and needs to be backed up with some honest hard work, but I hope he never drops his M.O.

Back in the beginning of this blog, our friend Jeff chatted with the assistant coach over at Wake Forest and he had this to say about Thompson:

Wells is a player that you can’t really compare to too many others. His game is based around his workrate and his grit. He plays with a chip on his shoulder and if he looses the ball he will work to get it back as if the defender just said something bad about his mother. Wells’s greatest assets are a result of this attitude. He loves to take players on the dribble he is willing to defend and “fight” for a game, and he has the ability to create some special moments and special goals.

That is a great description of what we saw on Saturday. I hope Nicol leaves this guy in for the long haul, because we’re going to see great things from him.

Here’s what some other sites are saying about Thompson today:
MLS Wells Thompson Write-up
Wells Thompson A-Z