Espinoza on his permanent move to Earthquakes, plus a change in Almeyda’s flow?!

TomThom is back on his trick shot business, as he hit yet another incredible circus shot, with a basketball inside an arena into a tiny hoop from like 30 yards away.

Listen, Thompson has rounded into a solid player for the San Jose Earthquakes, being able to unite that incredible footwork and skill with practical, sometimes hard-nosed play on the field. Quakes fans might be jaded by this circus trick business, he’s been doing this incredible stuff for years.

But even so, worth noting: Thompson is unquestionably the biggest trick shot purveyor in MLS, and can probably make a living on this stuff for decades to come. All hail TomThom the skillz magician.

Here’s news for this Friday:

• Espinoza at media day: Interviews are likely to trickle out for a few days, but MLS is holding their media and marketing tour this week in Los Angeles, featuring a bevy of media appearances by players around the league. San Jose attacker Cristian Espinoza was part of that group, and among the tidbits he shared, Matias Almeyda staying at the Quakes helped convince him to make his move permanent, and also that he asked to make it permanent halfway through last season.

• You can read a bit more on that interview from Pro Soccer USA’s Julia Poe.
• Stanford product goes No. 1 in NWSL Draft: A local college product went as the top pick in the 2020 NWSL Draft on Thursday, as Stanford’s Sophia Smith was picked by the Portland Thorns. All expectations are she’ll be a star at pro level, so remember the name.
• More draft recap: In other local news, Santa Clara had a player taken in the first round, Kelcie Hedge to Reign FC, Cal forward Abi Kim went to the Orlando Pride in the third round, Stanford’s Samantha Hiatt was selected by Reign FC in the fourth round, and Oakland native Aerial Chavarin (Yale) was taken in the fourth round by the Chicago Red Stars. Here’s some analysis from the draft from our friends over at All for XI.
• Almeyda haircut? Look, I don’t want to alarm you, but you’ll notice in this video that Almeyda appears to have trimmed some of the flow.

• Some of the flow, worth noting there’s still plenty there, but maybe he needed a little chop to get ready for the season ahead.
• Who will be 2020’s breakout star? Interesting question, and the Quakes website discusses the top candidates for making a leap this coming season: Carlos Fierro, Andy Rios, Danny Hoesen, Nick Lima, Vako. Can any (or multiple players) make a big step up this year?

Today’s question: What’s the next trick you want Tommy Thompson to attempt? Stand in the arena parking lot and somehow kick a basketball through a hoop? Attempt a free kick from the runway of the airport? Leave your ideas in the comments below!