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He's Gone From Mines To Minutes
"I was like, 'No way,' " said Craig Thompson of his reaction when told by United Coach Tom Soehn that he would be starting.
(By Tony Quinn -- Mls Via Getty Images)
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United assistant coach Chad Ashton, who once oversaw the University of Denver program, suggested the club take a closer look. Now that Thompson has made a favorable impression, "It's good to know we now have another guy we can rely on," Ashton said.
Thompson's first brush with MLS came as a teenager, when he was selected as a clubhouse assistant for the Colorado Rapids. Players often invited him to join after-practice activities.
He was then off to Golden, Colo., to attend Colorado School of Mines, where, playing primarily as a forward, he scored 24 goals his first three years and set a single-season program record with 18 as a senior.
"Most people out East don't really know [about the school] because it's pretty small," he said of the 3,000-undergraduate enrollment. "People ask what the school is about, and I tell them. Every college is kind of the same."
But his association with the Orediggers has earned him a unique distinction in United's multicultural locker room.
"A couple guys called me 'Mines,' " he said. "Maybe a nickname is starting there."
United Notes: Midfielder Marcelo Gallardo, who has not played since June 29 when he aggravated a groin injury against Los Angeles, seems certain to miss tonight's match. Asked whether surgery is an option, Soehn said: "We're still evaluating." . . .
Javier Muñoz Mustafá, Atlante's Argentine defender, is serving a one-game suspension after receiving a red card in a 4-0 loss at Houston on Saturday.
