San Jose Earthquakes sign U.S. youth international midfielder Eric Calvillo

Just a day after trading midfielder Darwin Ceren to the Houston Dynamo, the San Jose Earthquakes have found his replacement in former New York Cosmos midfielder Eric Calvillo, whom the team has acquired for a transfer fee from the NASL club.

The 20-year-old Calvillo, who has featured for the U.S. youth national teams at the U-15, U-17 and U-19 levels, joined the Cosmos as an 18 year old in 2016 and has featured in 19 games, 14 of them starts, for the 2017 NASL championship runners-up. He was a runner-up for the 2017 NASL Young Player of the Year award, which is given to the top player aged 23 years and under.

“Eric is a player that we have identified as a highly talented prospect,” said Earthquakes general manager Jesse Fioranelli in a statement released by the team. “With a significant amount of professional and youth national team experience at just 20 years old, we believe our club can support his development as he takes on MLS.”

Calvillo plays as a box-to-box midfielder, primarily on the right side of the field, and has grown to be a trusted leader in the center of the formation for the Cosmos. He started in the NASL Championship game last November in New York’s loss to the San Francisco Deltas. Calvillo scored 3 goals and added 1 assist during the 2017 season.

The Earthquakes continue to reshape their roster heading into the 2018 season, with Calvillo joining three other players that have been signed from the lower leagues of American soccer. Such transactions are shrewd given the salary budget constraints of the MLS roster system. All four players will compete for playing time with the Earthquakes first team, but any or all could also spend part of 2018 with San Jose’s USL partner Reno 1868 FC as they work to gain playing time.

“After three signings from our USL affiliate and now Eric from the NASL, we remain fully committed to scouting, signing and developing high-potential players from all corners of American soccer,” said Fioranelli.

The Earthquakes open their preseason camp on Monday, January 22. Calvillo and all the new signings will have their chance to make the game day roster ahead of the MLS season opener on March 3.

Eric Calvillo
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-7
Weight: 140 lbs.
Born: Jan. 2, 1998
Hometown: Palmdale, Calif.
Last Club: New York Cosmos (NASL)
College: NA
Roster Designation: Domestic