Spokane Velocity FC fans soon will see a new face standing guard in the box.
Goalkeeper Brooks Thompson, 21, is joining Velocity for the rest of the season, pending league and federation approval. He comes to Spokane on loan from the USL Championship League’s Hartford Athletic to fill a spot left vacant by the retirement of Velocity goalkeeper Peter Swinkels.
“We are excited to be adding Brooks to the roster! He brings valuable experiences after winning the USL League One Championship last year,” said head coach Leigh Veidman. “He understands what it takes to bring success to a club on and off the pitch and this is only going to help make us better as a team.”
Thompson, who was raised in Floyds Knobs, Indiana, enrolled as a teenager at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, playing in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. He signed with the Derby City Rovers of the Premier Development League (now USL League Two) in 2017 and later that year, at age 18, became the youngest player in club history to sign with Sporting Kansas City of MLS. He spent 2019-21 in the Sporting Kansas City organization, making his professional debut with the Swope Park Rangers (now Sporting Kansas City II) on July 17, 2019 in a 4-3 win over Hartford. The following season he made six starts for the Rangers and earned his first professional clean sheet on Aug. 4, 2020.
Thompson stayed with the Sporting Kansas City organization through the 2021 season before signing on with Philadelphia Union II of MLS Next Pro ahead of the 2022 campaign. He made 14 appearances for Philadelphia before being loaned to North Carolina FC for the remainder of the 2023 season. While there he made an immediate impact, helping North Carolina win the USL League One Championship for the first time, making a big save in the second round of penalties to help secure victory. He started 17 matches, logging 54 saves, four clean sheets and 10 wins. His 1.27 goals-against-average was the fourth best in USL League One. He signed with Hartford of USL Championship earlier this year.
Position: Goalkeeper
Number: 31
Age: 21
Hometown: Floyds Knobs, Indiana
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 185
Check out Brooks Thompson’s Roster Page
