Kosi Thompson: 'I want to be a chainsaw' for Toronto FC

It was a conversation that caught Kosi Thompson somewhat off-guard.

A midfielder by trade, Thompson has seen minutes as a right-sided centre back for Toronto FC this season after coach John Herdman told him he wanted to try him out in the Reds' three-man back line.

It's a new role for Thompson, who came up through the youth academy and TFC 2 before making his senior team debut in 2021. But the 21-year-old native of Toronto didn't flinch when Herdman said he wanted to see what the midfielder could do as a wide central defender.

"We've got good depth in the midfield. That's the starting point. [Kosi] adds to that depth in the midfield. But what we've seen is there's a physical profile there ... For us, he's definitely got the athletic competency to play in that hybrid wide centre back role. That's the centre back you expect to join [the attack] on pretty much every play but they have the engine to recover," Herdman explained.

How does Thompson feel about being played out of his natural position? In this one-on-one interview with TFC Republic, Thompson talks about slotting in as a centre back for the first time in his career, what life has been like for him under Herdman, and much more.

This Q&A has been lightly edited and trimmed for brevity and clarity.