San Jose Earthquakes select George Asomani in 2nd round of 2021 MLS Draft

The San Jose Earthquakes went to the other coast in selecting their second 2021 MLS SuperDraft pick on Thursday, taking midfielder George Asomani with the No. 39 overall selection (No. 12 in the 2nd round).

Asomani is a native of Accra, Ghana and is a holding-style midfielder, a role that is a position of need in depth for the Earthquakes at this point in the preseason.

Prior to playing for North Carolina State, Asomani spent two years at Monroe College, a junior college located in the Bronx, and was a 2018 First-Team All-American.

“We were not sure whether George was going to be picked already in the first round,” Earthquakes general manager Jesse Fioranelli told reporters during a conference call Thursday after the draft. “Having had the opportunity to take him in the second round was for us very, very fortunate. We are excited about George. He is a central midfielder that covers a lot of space, both defensively, and also in possession. We have followed him also for an extensive period of time. So, what we believe is going to apply to Thomas [Williamson] is going to apply to George as well. We’re going to give him a pathway to compete inside of the first team. And also, we will give him the time in order to transition, but we do believe that he is a promising prospect.”

Fioranelli noted that while Asomani would be an international player if he makes the roster, the club is working on ways to free up some slots.

“There’s one aspect with regards to George that we have to factor in: He does count as an international. And so, in the weeks to come, we might have announcements, with regards to our international slots, which also is very important as we manage the roster,” he explained.

Asomani was San Jose’s second and final selection on Thursday in the draft, as they passed on their 3rd round selection, Fioranelli explaining the club didn’t want to make a selection of a player who had no chance of making the MLS roster.

“For that reason we limited our picks to two players. And we then basically decided then we had found our targets and we’re happy with that,” Fioranelli said.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.