COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — Last weekend, Rapids midfielder Wells Thompson was given some news: He would start in at left back – a not entirely unknown position for him – and would be marking none other than the Galaxy’s David Beckham.
Talk about a baptism of fire. Thompson has been in and out of a starting position all season for Colorado in a wide midfield role, and had recently picked up his first two league goals for the Rapids. But last Saturday was another experience entirely, and one that Thompson admits was tough to adapt to initially.
“It took me a little while to settle in,” Thompson told MLSsoccer.com at training on Thursday. “Playing against David Beckham – he’s a smart player. I was a little over-anxious at times in the first half.”
For all of Rapids head coach Gary Smith’s rebuilding, the one relatively unsolved position problem is at left back. Nobody has been able to adequately replace Jordan Harvey, who was left unprotected by the Rapids in last year’s expansion draft and promptly picked up by the Philadelphia Union.
Danny Earls, a recruit from the Rochester Rhinos, started the season brightly but has faltered defensively and was dropped to the bench last weekend even though current first-choice Anthony Wallace was injured. Wallace, acquired from FC Dallas this past summer, has had some encouraging moments, but not enough games yet to prove he is the right man for the job.
Drew Moor has slotted in at left back and has performed well, but he is much more valuable in the central defender spot, especially in the absence of the injured Julien Baudet. Scott Palguta, a more natural central defender, has also played at left back in 2010, and even regular right back Kosuke Kimura has swung around to the other flank.
[inline_node:321427]Thus, the turn came around to Thompson, who had played at left back for previous club New England at times.
Wallace appears to be back to full fitness in training and Thompson looks unlikely to repeat against Real Salt Lake on Saturday. But the versatile player said he had relished the challenge of playing against Beckham and the other Galaxy superstars, describing Edson Buddle as a “beast” and Landon Donovan as “one of the quickest.”
“He’s a great player and has had such a career,” Thompson said of Beckham. “It was fun to match up against him. His touch is phenomenal. He’s still got a lot left in the tank.”
Smith said he was overall happy with the experiment after a torrid opening not only for Thompson, but the Rapids defense as a whole when Beckham was causing havoc down the right flank.
“Wells did make some errors early on, which you might expect of someone not well-versed in that position,” Smith told MLSsoccer.com after the 3-1 win over LA. “Beckham got in behind him and he was a little over enthusiastic, but I thought it was a very genuine display and a good performance from him.”
The Rapids kick off their final regular-season game at home against Real Salt Lake on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.
