SAN JOSE, Calif.– San Jose Earthquakes defender Tommy Thompson has been selected to Major League Soccer’s Team of the Week for Week 26 following the Earthquakes’ 2-1 victory over first-place LAFC in front of a sellout crowd at PayPal Park on Saturday night. LAFC entered the match on a seven-game winning streak and hadn’t previously lost since July 2.
Thompson recorded the primary assist on both of San Jose’s goals on Saturday, setting up Benji Kikanović in the first half and Cade Cowell in the second half. Cowell’s goal in the 77th minute was the game-winner.
The Team of the Week honor is Thompson’s first of the season. The Earthquakes have now had a total of 17 different TOTW recognitions so far in 2022.
MLS TEAM OF THE WEEK FOR WEEK 26
Forwards: William Agada (SKC), Julian Carranza (PHI), Romell Quioto (MTL)
Midfielders: Hany Mukhtar (NSH), Emanuel Reynoso (MIN), Ryan Gauld (VAN)
Defenders: John Tolkin (RBNY), Matt Miazga (CIN), Damion Lowe (MIA), Tommy Thompson (SJ)
Goalkeepers: Thomas Hasal (VAN)
Coach: Adrian Heath (MIN)
Bench: John Pulskamp (SKC), Domenico Criscito (TOR), Cesar Araujo (ORL), Santiago Rodriguez (NYC), Kwadwo Opoku (LAFC), Cucho Hernandez (CLB), Raul Ruidiaz (SEA)
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES DEFENDER TOMMY THOMPSON (8/20)
On Saturday’s performance vs. LAFC:
“It felt great. The atmosphere was electric. I give a lot of credit to the fans that came out to support us. There is no doubt. We’ve had some difficult moments this year, but it’s moments like that that shows the strength of this team mentally, physically, and the ability that we have to compete with some of the best teams and the best players in this league. For me personally, it felt great to put in a good shift with the team, but I give a lot of credit to all the guys out there that fought until the end right in the middle of the difficult moment that we’re in. I think it’s exciting and it’s a night that I won’t forget anytime soon.”
On the team’s mentality heading into Saturday’s match after the hiring of Luchi Gonzalez as the next Quakes head coach:
“I think we’re all excited about the hire [Luchi Gonzalez]. It was a great hire, but at the end of the day, our focus is the here and now. I give a ton of credit to the guys that came in: Lucho [Luciano Fusco], [Alex] Covelo, Wondo [Chris Wondolowski], Steve Ralston, Tubo [Fernandez]. All those guys came in at a really difficult moment. I think it was seven games into the season and they provided us with the positive energy that we needed. If you look at our record over that time period, it shows that we’ve been competitive consistently over the past couple of months. I think that’s a really positive piece of this season and I give those guys a ton of credit. It was a difficult moment and we’ve fought through those difficult moments. So, the hire is exciting, it’s exciting for the fans and the players. I think Luchi coming in is a step in the right direction and we’ll all be ready once he arrives in San Jose, but right now, we’re focused on giving the fans performances like we did tonight and I just wanted to give credit to the coaches here that have done something special over the course of the last 15 games or whatever it may be because I’m grateful for that. Whether I was playing or not playing, I’m grateful for that positive energy that has just provided us with that stimulus that we needed this year.”
