Hey Ya’ll! Hope that everyone is doing well! Again I want to apologize for not getting my blog out on time. I am sorry for that and promise I will not make it a habit!

Since my last post MLS inter-league play has been on hold for us. We are in the midst of a three week break from the MLS regular season schedule while we have been consumed with Superliga play. For all those who do not know, Superliga is a tournament where the top four MLS teams take on the top four Mexican league teams. Our group consists of Chivas USA, Santos, Pachuca, and ourselves. The second group contained the Houston Dynamo, DC United, Chivas, and Atlante. The top two teams from those groups then advance into the knockout rounds. We finished on top of our group and were the only team to finish group play with an undefeated record. We knocked off Santos 1-0 in our first game and then we squeaked past Pachuca 1-0 on a controversial Penalty Kick call in the 90th minute. It is one of those calls where you are glad to get them, but if it happened to you would be a little ticked off. That’s soccer though, and life as well, sometimes the ball rolls your way and sometimes it doesn’t. Regardless of the calls or the decisions you must always pick yourself back up and keep on keeping on. Our last match in group play was against Chivas USA this past Sunday.

The weekend got off to a crazy start on Friday! I am sure that some of ya’ll had heard the news about our eventful flight out to LA, but for those who haven’t you will definitely get a kick out of this story. We left for LA this past Friday on a direct flight in the afternoon. I remember loving to fly as a little boy, but these days with all the extra security and all and you really never know what is going to happen at the airport, flying these days can be a real hassle. Everything was going fine for the most part until about two hours or so into the flight. I was sitting in the back of the plane, and got my information mostly from Rob Valentino who witnessed the whole situation go down. So apparently a confused young man in his early twenties got up, went to the bathroom and came out BUCK NAKED and went back to his seat like everything was normal. He had a whole row of seats to himself so he then proceeded to stretch out across all three seats and lay down for a little nap, buck naked! Crazy huh? Craig Tornberg, our general manager, and Mike Burns, the team’s vice president for player personnel, were seated across the aisle from him and I am sure were wondering what they were seeing was real or not. They told the fellow that he should put his clothes back on, he refused. With some coaxing from the flight attendants he finally put his clothes back on. About ten minutes later he got up, like he was going to the bathroom again, but instead rushed for the emergency exit door in an attempt to open it. It sounds pretty scary and worse than it really is, but it is almost impossible though to open that door while in flight. He had to be subdued. Gwyn Williams, our goalie coach, along with Mike Burns and Craig Tornberg, rushed to restrain the young man and put him back in his seat. He was then handcuffed and we were forced to make an emergency landing in Oklahoma City to hand the young man over to the police. It was probably more entertaining and funnier than anything, but I did kind of feel bad for the man. It never seems to amaze me what people will do these days! It was a flight I will never forget. I must have told the story a thousand times, all my friends and family who had heard were dying to know what really happened. I am just thankful no one was injured forgroup play on Sunday. We needed either a tie or a win to insure our birth into the semifinals. It was a sloppy game, due to the horrible condition of the field, but we took care of business and went away with the 1-1 draw. We are off all week due to the All-Star break, and are scheduled to resume practice on Saturday to prepare for our semifinal match at home against Atlante in the Superliga semifinals. This is a new tournament to the team and me, but one that is more than welcome. It is always fun and a pleasure playing in new tournaments and against different teams. It also helps showcase the growth and talent that the MLS really possesses. The MLS gets a bad rap a lot because of its popularity, or lack thereof, in the USA, but the league has come a long way in its short history and it continues to only get better and better. I believe the league has a bright future and will only continue to improve.

When I agreed to write for this website, I was excited for many reasons, but also a little nervous. I was excited because it was something I had never done before; I was excited at the idea that people would want to know about my life; I still feel honored and in awe when someone wants my autograph. I never thought in my wildest dreams that someone would want my signature. I was excited not only to talk about my life as a professional footballer, but also to talk about my life off the field, in hopes of helping others through my experiences and insights in any way I could. I was somewhat nervous because I did not know how people would receive me and my messages. I just feel like a normal guy who has been more than blessed to be able to do something for a living that I love. I believe that God made me to play soccer, but I believe he made me to play soccer for a bigger reason. I firmly believe that God put me in this position to spread his Good Word and to ultimately glorify his name and his kingdom. I know that some people might be turned off by my faith and by my convictions, but I don’t care. I have come to understand that God made me who I am for a reason, and that if I am not true to myself I am being a faker, a false, and that I am being untrue to myself, to my readers and fans, and to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As I have matured and grown, I can see clearly as I look back over my life the many times when I have tried to be someone else; I have tried to be someone other than the person God has created me to be. I know now that I do not want to be that way and do not want to live that way any longer. So since this is my blog, I think it would be unfair to everybody if I tried to portray myself other than the person I really am. I read Tony Dungy’s book, Quiet Strength, not too long ago and it spoke volumes to me. I highly recommend the book! The one thing I most took from the book was that God blessed me with my dreams of becoming a professional athlete. I am in the eye of the public, and with that pedestal I feel it is my obligation and duty to use that pedestal and podium to do something greater than myself; to give all the glory to God and to help others in any way I can. I don’t know, I just felt it necessary and on my heart to express that with all my readers.

Please do not forget to send in any and all questions-whatever it is I would love to answer them! wells@americansoccerreader.com

Hope ya’ll enjoy! Take care, God bless, and until next time, be easy!

Wells Thompson

QUESTIONS

1. Hey wells,first off I have to say that you have been doing a great job with the revs.I was just wondering if you had to pick the top two pranks that any of the players has done while you have been with the team what would they be? and who were the masterminds behind them?also… I always wondered who Jeff Larentowicz hung out with off the pitch?Keep up the good work.-Kiana Wells-

—Kiana, hey there-thanks for your support and interest, I really appreciate it! I am a prankster, and a kid at heart, so I always enjoy telling a good prank. Ill give you one while I was in college at Wake and one while at the revs. Ryan Solle, a former revolution last year, played ball with me at wake. He is quite the prankster as well, and we always seemed to be trying to one up each other on pranks. One day after training all the guys were in the cafeteria getting some food. When I left, got back to my car and opened the door, smoke poured out of my car. I mean it was ridiculous! The smoke was so thick in my car that I couldn’t see anything in there. The next thing I know I hear Ryan dying laughing behind me. He had put a smoke bomb in my car. The smoke was so thick, that someone called the cops because they thought my car was on fire. They came and had a word with Ryan, they didn’t seem to enjoy our sense of humor. I knew though that I had o get him back. I couldn’t let him show me up like that! Ryan has a Jack Russell, and we knew how much Ryan loved that dog. So one day when we knew he was not home we, my teammate and good friend Evan Brown and myself, went to his house and dyed his dog red. It was hysterical, I have never seen Ryan so mad. He tried to wash the dog, but he couldn’t get all the dye out and he ended up being pink for about two weeks. That is probably my favorite prank of all time!

Now there a quite a few pranksters on the Revs, Joe Franchino, Matt Reis, Khano Smith, and Steve Ralston to name a few. Last year while Franchino was hurt, he had a lot of time to scheme. One day while we were practicing, Franchino put zip ties, the things cops use sometimes to handcuff people when they run out of handcuffs, on the rotating axel under the cars of Pat Noonan and myself. So whenever we drove there was a clinking sound that made us think there was something wrong with our cars. I checked under my car and eventually found the zip tie, but Noonan took his car in to the shop to get checked out, he had no idea. He ended up having to pay something like 200 dollars for the whole ordeal. I bet you could guess how pissed he was when he found out that it was just a prank from Franchino. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the stories. I have plenty more that I could gladly share with you some other time, but I will end it here for now. Thanks again for your question and please keep them coming. Take care and hope to hear from you again soon! Oh yea and Jeff is a great guy. Unfortunately we do not spend much time off the field, but to the best of my knowledge he usually hangs out with Doug Warren, Matt Reis, and Gary Flood off the field.

Good evening everybody! Hope ya’ll are well! I am sorry that I am just getting my blog up. Things have been a little hectic and crazier than normal this week, so I couldn’t get it up on my normal Wednesday! I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July! Lets see, last time things were not so great with me. I had a separated shoulder and I was missing the trip out to LA to play the Galaxy on the 4th, and I was missing a couple US Open cup games. I must say now that things are much better in my life! My shoulder still nags me a bit, especially after a grueling training session, but it is nothing I cant handle or play through. I was quite fortunate with my injury, thank God! A separated shoulder is very rarely something that needs surgery, or keeps one out for a long time. It is not that bad of an injury in terms of recovery. I was back practicing after about a week and a half, but it is pretty painful. I am just thankful that it was not my collarbone or something more serious. I can’t tell ya’ll how frustrating it is having to sit on the sidelines and watch practice or miss a game or trip. It was great getting back out on the pitch and back in the swing of things.

Now, lets get down to the on-field and performance side of things. Things are going well for us, we still remain on top of the league and have had a good past couple weeks! Last Tuesday we, in US Open Cup play, managed to beat the Richmond Kickers 3-0. I was not able to be at the game because I was home in bed sleeping the pain and frustration off from being injured. I was proud of the guys for their effort and result. It was a quick turn around, as the team left on Wednesday to head out to LA to prepare for the July 4th match against the Galaxy! Usually we leave for an away match the day before, but when we head to the West Coast  we try and get out there a couple days before in order to get rid of the jetlag and in hopes of being more refreshed and adjusted come game time. I was eagerly anticipating the match against LA before my injury. It would have been a great atmosphere with it being July 4th and in a sold out stadium. I think everyone would agree that playing in a sold out stadium is every players wish. The boys once again handled business in LA and came out on top 2-1. Adam Christman, one of my best friends on the team and a great guy, notched both goals and lead the charge for us in the win. My hat goes off to Adam for his performance and also for his selection and honor as the MLS Player of the week-congrats buddy!

Our next test was against USL-2 side Crystal Palace Baltimore and they did prove to be a tough test for us! They came prepared to play and play hard and were by no means intimidated by us. We had the better and more of the play, but after they equalized early to make it 1-1, we could not find a way to breakthrough and go on top. After a long and hard fought battle against a worthy opponent and two fifteen minute overtimes the game was headed to penalty kicks. Doug Warren came up huge for us in net, and we defeated Crystal Palace 5-3 on penalty kicks. Alot of people I’m sure were thinking and have thought about why we had such a hard time beating a USL-2 team. The thing about soccer is that it’s a game where any team on any given night can beat another team. So we were fortunate to escape a hungry Baltimore team and next we face D.C. United in the semifinals of the US Open Cup.

Off the field things have been great and the weather sure has been nice! Coming from good ole North Carolina, I love the sun, heat, and hot weather. I absolutely love it, for me the hotter the better! We do not get too much of that kind of weather up in Mass, so it is always nice when we do. I live on a lake with a wonderful family, the Marks’. They have graciously taken me in and let me live with them. They have two boats, a pontoon and a ski boat and graciously let me use them whenever I please. So I have been taking advantage of the hot weather and been out and about on the lake in the pontoon boat, fishing and swimming and just relaxing! Steve Ralston, Adam Christman, and Chase Hilgenbrinck all came over to go bass fishing with me. We caught quite a few bass combined, but really nothing to brag about. It was just nice being outside in the warm weather with company enjoying the great outdoors and some of God’s wonderful creations! I am more of a hunter than fisherman, but Steve Ralston has been teaching me some of his tricks, so I caught the fishing fever. I can’t seem to get enough of it!

 Anyway, before I leave I would like to give a shout-out and want to give props and respect to my teammates Shalrie Joseph, Matt Reis, and Mike Parkhurst on their selections for the MLS All-Star team and Best XI. I feel honored and grateful to know these guys and to be able to play, learn, and interact with them day in and day out-it is a true pleasure! Congrats fellas!

Ya’ll take care and God bless! Until next time, be easy!

Wells Thompson

Hey yall! I hope that everyone is doing well and has had a great week so far! My week has been a little crazy. It started off real well and I wish it could have ended that way, but it didn’t. On Friday, our PR people had arranged for all us southern boys (Adam Christman, Brad Knighton, and me) to head up to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Friday for an appearance. Being from North Carolina, the home of NASCAR, I am a little embarrassed to say that this was going to be my first race. I have had tickets and opportunities to go in the past, but something always came up or got in the way. It was an absolutely awesome appearance! We got VIP passes and were able to be on the infield-where all the drivers are, their crews and their garages and so forth. We did take care of some business while up there and had a radio interview promoting our team and our upcoming game against Toronto FC, so it wasn’t all fun and games. We got to walk around and check out all the drivers’ garages and how they were preparing for the race. We got to watch the time trials from pit road, which was insane! Now I know some of yall might be thinking what rednecks we are, but I think anyone of yall would have enjoyed what we were doing. It is amazing how many people attend NASCAR races. Did you know it is the biggest spectator sport in the world? That’s pretty crazy huh?

My folks came up for the first time this year, to spend the weekend and part of the week with me. So I was eager to get back to see them after the NASCAR gig. Like my faith, family is extremely important to me. Without their love, sacrifice, and support, there is no way I would be where I am today. I owe them so much for all that they have given me over the years, so it was such a joy to have them up here with me for the weekend. It is such a joy and honor to be able to share my dream with them, because it really is part their dream as well. I do have an older brother, John Mark, and a younger sister, Mary Kathryn, but unfortunately they were not able to make it up this weekend. For the most part, we just hung around my house, in Wrentham, MA, taking it easy in preparation for our game against Toronto FC this past Saturday.

The game went well, and we came out on top 2-1 thanks to the two goals by our true captain and Iron man Steve Ralston. “Raleigh,” as we call him just turned 34 a little while ago, and his talent and athleticism never cease to amaze me. I sure do hope I am able to do half the things he does when I reach his age! Raleigh is a wonderful teammate and friend. I feel blessed to have gotten to know him off the field and to learn from one of the greatest in American soccer history!

My freshman roommate at Wake Forest, Brian Edwards, who was drafted by Toronto this year, got the start for TFC on Saturday. It was good to see him, and I am so glad to see that he is doing well and continuing to make Wake Forest proud. It was also sweet to get the victory over him. It is always nice to gain some bragging rights on a former teammate! I wish him the best of luck in his career, except when we are facing each other.

I was subbed on close to the 75th minute. I got a little run to close the game out, but still had to be ready to play in the reserve game the next morning. I was so excited to hopefully get a full 90, or close to it, in the reserve game, but unfortunately there were other plans in store for me. I was taken out from behind by Jeff Cunningham after about 20 minutes and ended up separating my left shoulder. I couldn’t believe it! Thankfully, it was just a separated shoulder and not a broken collarbone. I should be getting back on the pitch in no more than 2 weeks. It always sucks getting hurt, there is no doubt about that, but I think it is important to always try and look on the bright side of things. I just thank God that it was only a separated shoulder, it could have been a broken collarbone that would have kept me out for months. So I’ll be busy rehabbing and working hard to get back on the pitch as soon as possible. The team left me behind this weekend as they traveled out to LA to face the Galaxy on the fourth of July. It should be an exciting and good atmosphere out there with it being the 4th and all! I hate that I had to miss it. I have something like 5 days off now, so I will be looking for something to do, and that task should be pretty hard considering I am limited because of my shoulder. I will probably see every good movie that is out in theaters now, ha!

Anyway, thanks for listening, hope you enjoyed it! Have a good one, God bless, and until next time-be easy!

-Wells Thompson

1.

Hey Wells! I love your blog so far. I just was wondering, when did you realize that soccer might be a real career option for you? High School? College? Earlier? Thanks!

Jenn in Somerville

Jenn, thanks for your question, and I am so glad to hear that you are enjoying the blog and hope you continue to! I am not sure if I really realized I could make a career out of soccer until my senior year of college. I always knew, or at least thought, that I had enough talent to succeed as a pro soccer player, but I had to convince more than a few people along the way. My whole life I seemed to fly under the radar, so to speak. I never made an ODP team, wasn’t highly recruited for college, and was never an all American or all conference selection. That being said, all you need is just one person to believe in you and your abilities. As I grew older, I just continued to believe in myself and my abilities, continued to get back up after I stumbled or fell, and continued to work hard. It all paid off when Steve Nicol and Paul Mariner took a chance on me-and I will be forever grateful to them for doing so! I hope that answers your question. Thanks again, and hope you continue to enjoy the blog!

2

Wells! Hope everything is good in New Englandland, what player(s) do you spend the most time with off the field? Who’s the biggest jokester of the group?

-Steve M

Steve, thanks for the question. One thing about New England is that we have a great “locker room.” Meaning, for the most part all the guys on the team get along real well. The guys that I hang out with the most are probably Steve Ralston, Adam Christman, Brad Knighton, and Joe Germanese. Steve and I formed a bond when I got on the team because we both love to hunt and fish. So most of the time when we are hanging out away from the team we are doing some sort of activity involved around hunting and fishing. Raleigh and I have had a couple successful hunts this year together. I killed my first Coyote around the beginning of the year and Raleigh got a nice size turkey not too long ago. Adam, Brad, and Joe live near me so, considering all the free time that we have, we try and get together to pass the time. Brad, Joe, and I love to play golf-so we usually try and get out and play together at least once a week.

Determining the biggest jokester on the team is a tougher task. I would tell you that I am the biggest jokester, but some might argue with you. Last week, with the help of our equipment manager Brian Banfill, I put icy/hot in the sliders of Brandon Manznelli. Talk about uncomfortable! I was a victim of this cruel trick last year, so I knew all too well how bad it hurts. Other jokesters would have to include Matt Reis, and Steve Ralston. Matt is always being a goofball and acting like a clown, he is definitely our biggest entertainment on the team. Raleigh is a sneaky little bugger, he is good for a few pranks every now and then.

3

Heya Mr. Thompson, if you could play in one other country other than the US, which would it be? and Why?

Mark C

Mark, I would love nothing more than to go play in another country during my career. It is a perfect time in my life right now where I would be able to do something like that, and talk about an experience. There is not one place that comes to mind where I am dying to go play. I would love to go to Greece, Spain, Switzerland, or even Australia. The main attraction for me is the quality of football/soccer. I would want to go to the country that has the best football/soccer, that is definitely important. I do really look forward to the experience, and know that God will lead me where he wants me. I guess what I am trying to say, is that I am open to go wherever God leads me. I do not think I would be opposed to really going anywhere to play.

4

Wells, if you weren’t a soccer player what do you think you’d be doing? Keep up the great work! god bless!

-Richard W, Springfield

Richard, thanks for the question. That is probably the toughest question for me to answer, because I have no idea what I would be doing if I wasn’t playing soccer. That is the honest to God truth! When I graduated, if I did not go play soccer, I would have probably gone to live and work on a tropical island somewhere while I tried to figure it all out. I figure you have the rest of your life to work, so why not go on an adventure or do something cool and different right out of college.

I went to Africa this past December for two weeks doing mission work, and had the most amazing and incredible time of my life. I do feel called sometimes to be involved in the mission field and to be helping others out, so who knows, maybe I would be doing that full time. I hope to play soccer as long as I possibly can!

5

Hi Wells, really lookin’ forward to the blog, do you follow any other sports/teams closely? Good luck rest of the season! Lets go Revs!

Sophie O

Hey Sophie, thanks for the question! For the record I love all sports. I played pretty much everything growing up, Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, Indoor Soccer, Golf, Tennis, Swimming, and Lacrosse. A lot of my free time is spent either playing or watching sports. I continue to follow all my Wake forest teams and their success. I am also a big fan of the New Orleans Hornets. I grew up playing against Chris Paul and his brother CJ, and also knew Chris while he was at Wake Forest. Part of it is the hometown and college connection, but I also really respect Chris as a person and individual not just on the court but also off the court. I look up to him greatly and only wish the best for him in his career and throughout his life. Right now I am in a golf phase, I love to play golf. When I am not on the pitch these days you can usually find me on the range or on the course somewhere. My former roommate at Wake Forest, Webb Simpson, just turned pro this year, so I try and keep up with him and how he is doing. I am also a big fan of Andy Roddick. I always try and watch and root him on when I can.

Thanks for all the questions-I really appreciate them and look forward to reading them and answering them each week-so please keep them coming!

Do you have a questions or comment for Wells? Send them to Wells@americansoccerreader.com