San Jose Earthquakes select Cal’s Thomas Williamson in 2021 MLS Draft

The San Jose Earthquakes stayed local with their first 2021 MLS SuperDraft pick, selecting Cal forward Thomas Williamson with the No. 12 overall pick on Thursday.

Williamson scored nine goals in 18 appearances in 2019 for Cal, earning Pac-12 All-Second Team honors for his exploits.

Williamson didn’t play in the 2020 fall season, as a result of fall sports in the Pac-12 aside from football being cancelled. A native of Orange County, California, Williamson played his academy soccer for the vaunted Strikers FC program, scoring 48 goals across three seasons.

The Earthquakes have a need for attacking depth, and so this makes sense. It also makes sense that the Quakes went local for their first pick, not only because of the disruptions in the college soccer season but because San Jose have a history of selecting local players. We’ll see if Williamson gets the call for training camp and if he earns a pro deal from there, and we’ll have more draft coverage as it drops.

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