The New England Revolution will take the field for Sunday's MLS Cup Final with a lineup chock-full of veterans with plenty of big-game experience. In fact, head coach Steve Nicol's first XI will be almost identical to the group that trudged off the Pizza Hut Park turf after their heartbreaking loss to Houston in last year's final -- with one exception.
Rookie Wells Thompson has earned a starting role on the right wing with a work ethic and calm demeanor that belies his age, and on Sunday he'll have the rare opportunity to play a major role in the biggest game of his first professional season.
"It's unbelievable. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd be in the MLS Cup my rookie year," said the Wake Forest University graduate after New England's training session at RFK on Saturday. "But I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for God. ... I'm just going to come out here, do my part, do what I've been doing in the playoffs: work hard, feed the ball into box and get back defensively."
Thompson's rise further highlights Nicol's sterling reputation for identifying and developing talented young players, especially from the collegiate ranks. Despite his Scottish roots, the Revs boss has shown an impressive understanding of the unique landscape of U.S. soccer and it's helped fuel his team's consistent success.
"Well -- touch wood -- so far the process has done great for us," said Nicol. "If you look at our starting XI, there's probably, I don't know, maybe eight that have come through the draft, which is incredible. Not only is it eight players, it's eight real good players -- it's not just average, run of the mill players."
Acquired with the fifth overall selection in the 2007 SuperDraft, Thompson has made a strong impression on his elders and with the importance of wide play in New England's 3-5-2 formation, he will be expected to make an impact against Dynamo.
"He's got a great engine -- in our setup you have to play up and down the wing, you have to play both offense and defense and he definitely has the wherewithal to do that," said goalkeeper Matt Reis. "It's tough as a rookie. You've got to put your time in, you've got to wait and you've got to learn. But he's done that really well and we're looking for him to really dominate that right side for us."
Thompson started in the Revs' season opener against Chicago, but like many rookies, hit a midsummer wall when the long, grinding MLS season took its toll. Opportunity knocked down the stretch, though, when Nicol decided to move longtime right winger Steve Ralston into a central playmaking role. The move has paid dividends for the squad and Thompson's play has earned the trust of coaches and teammates alike.
"It's been great. [I'm] just trying to jump on their back and follow them," said Thompson of his veteran colleagues. "Jay Heaps in the back has been wonderful, helping me out and just kind of mentoring me a little bit. And Ralston too, because I've been taking over his position, he's been trying to give me little tidbits of information. But the whole team has been great."
On Satuday, Nicol was asked if he would be giving his greenest starter any special guidance on the eve of the league's most pressure-packed contest.
"Nothing," he replied. "Just go and do what you do best and forget about finals and all that. Just go and play, son! He's young enough that it's probably just going to go past him anyway, so we'll just leave him alone."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
