Michael Thomas (born March 8, 1988, in Olathe, Kansas) is a former American soccer player.
 Thomas warming up at Livestrong Sporting Park | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Thomas | ||
| Date of birth | March 8, 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Olathe, Kansas, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2009 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2009 | Kansas City Brass | 13 | (2) |
| 2010 | Halmstads BK | 5 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Ljungskile SK | 42 | (8) |
| 2012–2013 | Sporting Kansas City | 7 | (0) |
| 2013 | Toronto FC | 1 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Oklahoma City Energy | 82 | (11) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 3, 2016 | |||
Career
editCollege and amateur
editThomas attended University of Notre Dame where he played in midfield for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Thomas was selected to play with Region II (Midwest) 88 ODP Regional Team in events at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California as well as international events in Italy and Spain. Listed on CollegeSoccerNews.com 100 Freshmen To Keep An Eye On In 2006.
During his college years Thomas also played for Kansas City Brass in the USL Premier Development League.[1]
Professional
editThomas was drafted in the second round (19th overall) of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by San Jose Earthquakes.[2] Shortly after the draft Thomas left the United States to go on trial with Halmstads BK in Allsvenskan[3] and following the club's failure to loan wished players from its partner club RCD Espanyol, Thomas was offered a short-term contract, 4 month with an option for the rest of the year,[4] which he signed on February 21, 2010,[5] however due to uncertainties what rules applied, Swedish or American, and Thomas' previous club affiliation, it took some time and the help of both the American and Swedish FA before Thomas was completely signed by Halmstads BK on March 20.[6] On July 3 Halmstads BK reported that they would not use the clause to extend Thomas' contract until the end of the season and that Joakim Wrele from the youth squad would take his place.[7]
Shortly after his departure from Halmstads BK, he went on trial with Superettan club Ljungskile SK and following a successful trial the club decided to sign him for the rest of the 2010 season. Thomas was a starter for the club appearing in 47 league matches and scoring 8 goals.
On January 18, 2012, Thomas signed a contract with Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City making his return to his native Kansas.[8] The previous day Sporting Kansas City had acquired Thomas' MLS rights from San Jose in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft.[9]
Thomas was traded to Toronto FC on July 2, 2013, in exchange for a second-round 2015 MLS SuperDraft pick.[10] He was not retained following the 2013 season[11]
Michael Thomas became the first player to sign with Oklahoma City Energy FC ahead of its 2014 inaugural season.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Kansas City Brass Premier Development League". uslsoccer.com. Archived from the original on June 10, 2011. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
- ^ 2010 MLS SuperDraft Archived January 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "THOMAS HOPING FOR HAMLSTADS OFFER". yanks-abroad.com. February 15, 2010. Archived from the original on February 17, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Thomas fick korttidsavtal" (in Swedish). hallandsposten.se. February 21, 2010. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
- ^ "Lämnar vintern för värme" (in Swedish). hbk.se. February 22, 2010. Archived from the original on August 13, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
- ^ "Thomas helt klar för HBK" (in Swedish). hallandsposten.se. March 20, 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ "Wrele får A-kontrakt" (in Swedish). hbk.se. June 3, 2010. Archived from the original on August 22, 2010. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
- ^ Josh Whisenhunt (January 18, 2012). "Sporting KC signs midfielder Michael Thomas | Sporting Kansas City". Sportingkc.com. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
- ^ Kurt Austin (January 17, 2012). "SKC acquires right of first refusal for MF Michael Thomas | Sporting Kansas City". Sportingkc.com. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
- ^ "Toronto Trades for Michael Thomas". July 2, 2013.
- ^ "Major League Soccer issues player list and selection order ahead of annual Waiver Draft". November 25, 2013.
- ^ "United Soccer Leagues (USL)". Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved February 19, 2014.