SAN JOSE, Calif. -
They're young, confident, strong on the ball and internationally seasoned.
And when Tommy Thompson, Fatai Alashe and Marc Pelosi are all on the field in San Jose, they stoke the coals of possibility thinkers. It's three coins in the club's fountain of youth.
All three were around for the final whistle in the Quakes' 0-0 draw with the Portland Timbers on Sunday. Alashe went the full 90 minutes, and Pelosi and Thompson were substitutes.
"I think it's special to have guys to play in the midfield like Marc Pelosi and Fatai because they're good players," Thompson said. "They're some of the best players in the United States, and so to be able to learn from them and work with them and to be able to build that chemistry on this team is something I look forward to doing in the coming years."
Pelosi and Alashe, both 21, are teammates on the U-23 national team, and Thompson, 19, is with the U-20 team. Pelosi earned his stripes playing in the famed Liverpool system for four years. Thompson, the Quakes first Homegrown signing, played with Indiana for one season after starring at Granite Bay High School.
Moreover, Thompson earned the distinction of scoring the first-ever goal in the Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game, in a 1-1 draw with the Club America U-20s on July 28. He made a trademark confident run through the midfield and blasted a 20-yard shot past Club America keeper Jonathan Leon Quinones.
"It was a great experience playing for (coach) Landon Donovan and to have the opportunity to share the field with some of the best young players in MLS," Thompson said. "It's special because these are guys you see and read about but don't necessarily play with very often."
Thompson remains the only player in the two-year-old Homegrown Game to have scored in the run of play.
"Going into the game, I didn't realize that there hadn't been a goal in the Homegrown Game ever, so to be able to get that is a cool accolade, but the main objective is to make an impact on the game, and I feel I did that," Thompson said. "I was more happy to help my team than to get a historic goal."
Thompson's work ethic suggests that there's more goals where that came from. On Thursday, he was out there by himself after practice, passing the ball to an assistant coach.
He is part of an impressive soccer family. His dad, Gregg, is a former U.S. Olympian and is in the Indiana University Hall of Fame for soccer; and his brothers Tanner (Indiana) and Ty (Stanford) are accomplished Division I competitors. Tanner has been named the 2015 MAC Hermann Trophy watch list.
The Thompson boys had some epic 2 vs. 2 games with their dad.
"Growing up, my dad always taught me to keep working," Tommy Thompson said. "You hear about how some of the best players in the league are always trying to better their game. Even though they're already the best, they always want to get better. So I like to continue working, especially after a hard day's practice where maybe you thought you should have scored a couple of goals."
Alashe, who had a strong all-around game against Portland, was the Quakes' top pick (No. 4 overall) in the MLS SuperDraft. The former Michigan State star is a weapon pushing forward in the penalty area.
In the 61st minute against Portland, Alashe got his head on a ball lobbed into the box by Marvell Wynne, but the shot went just high.
Pelosi, a Sunnyvale native, showed his quality in his MLS home debut after entering in the 77th minute.
"My MLS debut felt good because it was my first professional senior team appearance, and playing with men older than you and stronger, it's just a high level," Pelosi said. "I thought it was really fun to be able to get that under my belt."
Pelosi said it was tough to leave Liverpool after spending such a good chunk of his youth there. He'd made good friends and learned to like the city. Plus, the world-class club had a family feel to it.
He trained with such players such as Steven Gerrard, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho. He describes Coutinho's play as "really magical."
"I kept in touch with Steven a little bit when he was coming over. He was coming to California," Pelosi said. "He's never been to L.A. before, which surprised me, but I think he loves it over here, and it will be good to see him again."
The transition to MLS, Pelosi said, was made easier because he came back to his "hometown rather than just another random city."
Quakes coach Dominic Kinnear says he brought Pelosi in because he's a good player who will help the team win, not simply to develop him or because he's local.
"He's a good kid. He's a hard worker. He's a fit kid, he covers a lot of ground," Kinnear said of Pelosi. "He's not afraid, which is probably one of his best characteristics. When he steps on the field he feels he belongs out there."
Of course, Kinnear says all three of the young guys play without fear.
"I think so," Kinnear says. "I think with Tommy, he'd play the same out here as he'd play the game on a basketball court or he would at Old Trafford. He just wants to play. Marc's the same. I think he feels he belongs, and also with Fatai. All three guys show that they're not afraid to play, no matter who the opponent is or where it is. That's a great characteristic to have."
Like Thompson, Alashe is envisioning a bright future for the Quakes young trio. The relationship with the club is mutually beneficial.
"Obviously, whenever we have the young guys playing it's good for the future of the club," Alashe said. "Those guys are both great players and they'll continue to get time. You can see that they do well with it when they come on. They bring a little spark to the team."
