San Jose Earthquakes sign draft pick George Asomani

The San Jose Earthquakes announced last week they have signed 2021 MLS SuperDraft pick George Asomani. However, while he’s under contract this year with club options through the 2024 season, for the time being he will not be on the first team active roster, presumably because he is an international player.

Asomani was drafted by the Earthquakes in the second round of the 2021 Draft out of North Carolina State. After his selection, he played the spring season with NC State, and spent two years total there. Prior to that he played junior college soccer for Monroe College.

“We felt fortunate to be able to select George in the second round of the SuperDraft and believe he has promising qualities we can build on,” said Earthquakes general manager Jesse Fioranelli in a team statement. “After the draft, he concluded the 2020-21 season with North Carolina State before arriving in San Jose and impressing with his work ethic and athleticism. We intend to be patient with George’s development and want to accompany him as he continues to grow at the MLS level of competition.

“We would like to acknowledge NC State’s support, in particular coach Kiefer, for helping pave George’s collegiate pathway to a unique life perspective. We know his college degree and the opportunity to go pro means a lot to George and his family in Ghana.”

It’s unclear at this point if Asomani could get into the first team roster at some point this season or if the international slot situation just won’t work in 2021 and he’ll have to content himself to play for the club’s U-23 squad, or possibly go on loan to a USL team this year, with an eye to possibly make the team next year. This could be roster maneuvering or just giving him a slightly better chance of getting on the roster next season, we’ll see.

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