Third-year midfielder Tommy Thompson has been waiting for his chance to make an impression on head coach Dominic Kinnear, to convince the San Jose Earthquakes skipper that he can be trusted in the starting line-up. Against DC United, as part of the MLS 20th Anniversary match, Thompson finally got that chance.
Because of a suspension to Simon Dawkins for a red card against the LA Galaxy and an injury suffered by Anibal Godoy while on international duty with Panama, Kinnear had a shortage of central midfielders for the Quakes tilt against United.