by Don Cuddy

From not knowing whether he would even be drafted to becoming a starter in the MLS Cup, his first term in MLS has been a wild ride for Revs rookie Wells Thompson.

The Wake Forest midfielder was a Revs first round draft pick but his early appearances had New England fans openly wondering what Steve Nicol and Paul Mariner saw in the lad.

Few question their judgment now. The speedy winger has established himself as a starter and turned in some tremendous performances during the Revs playoff run.

Soccer 365’s Don Cuddy had a chat with the Southern boy after the Revs concluded their final training session before heading for the showdown at RFK.

365: You have your Man U shirt on. Are you a fan?
WT: I like them but I forgot to bring my own shirt, this is Brian Byrnes.’ (It was wear your favorite shirt to practice day at training)

365: What is your favorite shirt?
WT: I probably would have worn my U-12 Winston Salem Twins shirt, my city team.

365: So is this like a dream, going to the MLS Cup?
WT: In my wildest dreams I wouldn’t have imagined that but I just give it all to God.

He’s the one who brought me here. He’s the one who made it all possible.

I didn’t know if I was going to get drafted so being in this situation is just a dream come true.

365: You still in touch with your college teammates?
WT: Constantly. I think they are actually Number 1 in the country right now. They have been very supportive of me and try to watch all of the games.

365: There’s a big Wake Forest connection here now with you and Parky and James Riley.
WT: Yeah, there were actually four of us. I drove up here with Ryan Solle but he’s gone now. It was real nice having James (Riley) and Parky here. They’ve been real generous and helped to acclimate us to the team and to the area.

365: Are you going to have a lot of family and friends going to the game?
WT: Sure. It’s the closest place to home in North Carolina so I have a bunch of people coming.

365: What’s life been like as a pro?
WT: It’s been a real learning curve. It’s a lot longer than a college season and I am trying to adjust to that. I’m just trying to follow the example of Steve Ralston and learn the position of outside mid. With more time on the field and the experience that has given me I feel more confident now and I think that’s a big part of my game. I played central mid all the way to college. Then I played on the right in college the first year when Parky was there and I switched to the left for two years. I’m comfortable on both sides.

365: How has it been working with this coaching staff?
WT: Ever since I met them at the draft the first day it’s been awesome. They were both great players and it’s an honor to come here and play for them.

365: You have probably heard a lot from Steve Nicol about the importance of what you do when you don’t have the ball?
WT: (laughs) Oh yeah! Adjusting to a three back system took some getting used to.

It’s more of a both sides of the ball type thing so I had to watch my positions.

Steve always tells me ‘Get in good positions’ so I try to concentrate on that and stay focused during the game and to make myself available.

365: How important is it to you to play on grass.
WT: Anyone will tell you that they’d rather play on grass. We practice on grass every day and I’m excited that the final will be on grass. I think we definitely have the best turf here. It’s a more grassy type. New York and Toronto is more like a carpet. It’s real quick and you feel like the whole game the ball just bounces.

365: Does the team as a whole feel like they are going to win this thing?
WT: Yes. During the playoffs I feel that we have really brought it together. We have been a lot tighter, not let goals in and one thing we got to do better is just take our chances when they come. But you know we’re confident and as long as we do what we know how to do I think we’ll come out on top.

365: What kind of game are you expecting against Houston?
WT: I think our teams are very similar. They work hard and close space so I think it will be tight at the beginning but I think things will start opening up later.

365: Well that’s your job right? Davy Arnaud caused then some problems the other night skipping past people.
WT: (laughs) Well, yeah. Hopefully I can get it behind them too.

365: Will you be nervous playing in front of 40,000 people?
WT: It’s a part of the game for me. I used to get nervous in high school. Every game the butterflies are inevitable but when the whistle blows I’ll be ready to get after them.

365: I think this is going to be your year. Things are lining up. I wish you the best of luck.
WT: Thanks a lot.