Billy Thompson (soccer)
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| Billy Thompson | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Thompson | |
| Date of birth | May 5, 1968 (age 38) | |
| Place of birth | Cupertino, California, United States | |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | |
| Playing position | Forward / Midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Retired | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| 1986-1990 | UCLA | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1988-89 1991-1995 1995 1995 1995-1996 1996-1999 |
Los Angeles Heat Pau Rapracha Hawaii Tsunami Tampa Bay Terror Columbus Crew |
(10) 14 (21) 82 (4) |
| National team2 | ||
| 1988 | United States | 1 (0) |
| Teams managed | ||
| 1999 2000 2000- |
Ohio Wesleyan women (assistant) Ohio Wesleyan men (assistant) Worthington United Soccer Club |
|
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
William “Billy” Thompson is a retired U.S. soccer player.
Thompson, born in Cupertino, California, attended UCLA where he played as a forward on the men’s soccer team from 1986 to 1990. Thompson earned first team All American honors as a senior. That year he was the captain of the Bruins team which took the NCAA championship. Thompson was also the 1990 ISAA Player of the Year and finished his time at UCLA with 42 goals and 27 assists.
While playing with UCLA, Thompson spent the 1988 and 1989 collegiate off season with the Los Angeles Heat of the Western Soccer Alliance.[1] In 1988, he was named to the WSA All Star team.[2]
Following his last season at UCLA, Thompson was a member of the U.S. soccer team at the 1991 World University Games. He then moved to France to play for Pau, of the French Second and Third divisions. He was with the team from 1991 to 1994 before returning to the United States. In 1995 he spent a single season with the Hawaii Tsunami of the USISL. He was the league’s Offensive MVP. [3] He also played with Rapracha of Thailand that year.
On February 6-7, 1996, Major Soccer League (MLS) held its first draft. The Columbus Crew selected Thompson in the third round (21st overall). At the time he was playing indoor soccer with the Tampa Bay Terror of the National Professional Soccer League. Thompson went on to play four seasons with the Crew. However, at the end of his second season, in which he saw time in only six games (four as a starter), the Crew did not protect Thompson during the expansion draft. The next season, he came back strong, appearing in twenty-nine games. However, he retired at the end of the 1999 season.
After retiring from professional soccer, Thompson remained in Columbus. In 1999 he served as the assistant coach to the Ohio Wesleyan women’s soccer team. The next season he was an assistant to the men’s soccer team. He also coached a local high school girls soccer team. However, in 2000, Thompson joined Worthington United, a local youth soccer club. He currently is Director of Coaching for the club, helping to develop the top talent in Central Ohio. He has also coached with the Olympic Development Program.
On the national team level, Thompson earned a single cap with the U.S. national team in a June 14, 1988 victory over Costa Rica. While he has only one cap, he played seventeen total games with the national team, but sixteen of those games came in less than full internationals.
Thompson also spent time on the Pro Beach Soccer circuit.
