After various months of training, tryouts and determination, Elmhurst University alum Keegan Thompson has recently signed with Chicago House AC to play professional soccer. The new club is set to begin its inaugural season this coming fall of 2021.
 
A first-team all-conference selection in 2019, Thompson finished his Bluejay career with 13 goals, 12 assists and 38 points. He graduated from Elmhurst with a degree in Chemistry and a minor in math. While he made it clear that he one day hopes to achieve another one of his life goals and attend grad school for biology/chemistry and pursue a career in medical research, his current focus has been to fulfill his dream of playing soccer at the professional level.

It was months of determination that finally led Thompson to achieve his goal. Following his graduation at Elmhurst, Thompson received an invite to Forward Madison's tryout of 40-50 players in late January of 2020. The next month he was invited to train with the squad, as they already had four wingers signed prior to the tryout. When the COVID-19 Pandemic hit, Thompson returned home and continued to train and work out every day. He explained how there were some days where he did not want to go workout or find a park in the middle of winter, but he knew that was the continuous effort needed to meet his short and long-term goals.
 
"There's been days when you don't want to be out there by yourself," he said. "I was fortunate to train with my sister, but there were days where I was tired or having a bad day. You have to realize it's not going to be perfect all the time, but consistent effort is what is needed. I was always trying to keep my end goal in mind."

After heading out to a tryout in Detroit last summer, he continued to stick to his routine and was invited to a three-week tryout in California during the fall of 2020. Thompson felt it may have been his best tryout and the coaches said they were impressed with his skill level but again the team already had four wingers signed. In the fall of 2020, he began to coach soccer at the youth level while continuing his training. He first made contact with Chicago House AC in December when Elmhurst Head Men's Soccer Coach Dave Di Tomasso alerted him that a new team was prepping for its first season. In February, Thompson traveled to Pittsburgh for a tryout with the River Hounds. After an impressive performance the team offered to let Thompson train with them but the squad already had five wingers signed to its squad.
 
After being told he had the skill level to play at the professional level but being unsigned either due to financial constraints or roster make-ups, Thompson finally signed with Chicago House AC and will compete in the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA).
 
"I always wanted to try and make it to the level of soccer that you watch on TV," he said. "I was used to coaches saying no or not playing me at first, so I used that fuel and continued to work hard everyday. After my second year at Elmhurst and talking to guys that had gone through the process [of playing professional soccer], I had an underlying belief in myself that I had what it takes to turn pro."
 
DiTomasso has had players on his past teams make their way into the pro level and continue their careers after being a Bluejays. He believes Thompson is the type of player that could have a successful career playing professional soccer.

"Ownership, perseverance, and downright grit is what Keegan has been about from the start,"  DiTomasso explained. "His growth and commitment to the game was clearly evident the day he stepped on the field at Elmhurst University. The consummate professional, he set the standard for what a collegiate player should embody. I could not be more proud and honored that Keegan has been chosen by Coach Brown to represent Chicago House AC. The Elmhurst men's soccer program expects great things from him as a professional player."  
 
Chicago House AC and Thompson will open play at Seat Geek Stadium in Bridgview this fall.