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Jack Skahan was one of two 2020 MLS draft picks who were signed by the San Jose Earthquakes. The first selection of the second round out of the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, Skahan was invited to the preseason trip to Cancun and quickly won a pro deal with the Quakes.
He was sent on loan for the Reno 1868 FC season opener, starting as a defensive midfielder and also scoring a goal in a 3-1 win.
Of course, the USL Championship and MLS seasons shut down days later and everyone went on ice for a few months, but that finish showed Skahan had a nose for goal.
Here are Skahan’s stats in 2020:
Jack Skahan 2020 San Jose Earthquakes Statistics
| 2020 | Games Played | Games Started | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Shots | SOG | Yellow Cards | Red Cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Games Played | Games Started | Minutes | Goals | Assists | Shots | SOG | Yellow Cards | Red Cards |
| Regular Season | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MiB Knockouts | 1 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Playoffs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
He made his MLS debut in the MLS is Back Tournament quarterfinal loss against Minnesota United, getting a runout and a chance to maybe help mount another epic comeback, but the second part didn’t come to pass.
Then he featured again in September, near the Earthquakes’ nadir of the season, coming off the bench in the Portland Timbers’ lopsided win for a few minutes of garbage time.
So the game states for Skahan weren’t too kind — he basically got to run around in two games that were out of hand. And 34 minutes in two games doesn’t give you much of a sample size to evaluate his game, obviously.
I was a bit surprised the Earthquakes signed Skahan to a multiyear deal as a 2nd round draft pick, but he remains under contract for 2021. I think it’s possible San Jose would have sent him on loan more in 2020 to Reno (RIP) and given him a chance to get some more pro minutes. But having a deal for next season, perhaps there was a plan for the Earthquakes to bring him along a bit slowly this year, and maybe get him in more often next year. We’ll see.
Skahan will be 23 when the 2021 season kicks off, and he seems like a player who may have some versatility in midfield, who’s shown at USL level and in preseason games he can score, too. Could the Quakes use a player like that? Sure! Is he that player? Next year will give us a better sense of that.
What do you think? Leave a comment below.