SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the club has acquired forward Jeremy Ebobisse (ee-BO-bis-see) from the Portland Timbers in exchange for $667k of General Allocation Money (GAM) in 2022 and $500k of GAM in 2023. Portland could receive an additional $50k of 2023 GAM for performance-based incentives. Portland will retain a portion of the player’s 2021 salary budget charge. The Earthquakes have also signed Ebobisse to a new contract through the 2024 MLS season.
“I think the Earthquakes and the project that they’ve been building, especially since Matias [Almeyda] has been at the helm, is something that’s been really exciting to watch from afar,” said Ebobisse. “As an individual, I look at them and I see a unified group that’s all going in one direction, through thick and thin, always backing each other. I want to add my personality to the group, learn from everyone that’s already there, and try to add what I bring to the table on the field. It’s an exciting project, in which there’s a lot of faith in me to score a lot of goals. Ultimately I want to help the team in every way possible.”
Ebobisse, 24, has spent his entire professional career with the Portland Timbers, tallying 26 goals and eight assists, including five game-winning goals and two game-winning assists, across 88 appearances (54 starts). He has scored 23 goals in 65 appearances since the start of the 2019 season, tied for 11th most in MLS during that time.
“We couldn’t be more excited about bringing Jeremy to San Jose,” said Earthquakes Technical Director Chris Leitch. “Jeremy is an exciting young player with significant MLS experience and a proven track record for scoring goals. We think he’ll be a great leader for our team and a great ambassador for our community.”“He’s a player that we have been eyeing for a while now,” said Earthquakes head coach Matias Almeyda. “When this opportunity came up, with support from our ownership group, we’re adding a young player who we believe will be important for our project.”
Ebobisse joined the Timbers at 19 years old as the fourth-overall selection in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft, two picks ahead of Quakes captain Jackson Yueill.
After a year and a half as a role player, including time on loan with Portland Timbers 2 of the United Soccer League (USL), Ebobisse emerged as a starter towards the end of the 2018 season. He made eight appearances and five starts over the final two months of the regular season, recording two goals and two assists. He then started all six matches of their postseason run, including MLS Cup vs. Atlanta, notching one goal and one assist in the playoffs.
Ebobisse followed up his late-season emergence with a breakout campaign in 2019, making 25 starts while appearing in all 34 regular season matches and tallying 11 goals and an assist. He was the third youngest player in MLS to score at least 10 goals that season.
In the COVID-shortened season of 2020, Ebobisse finished with eight goals, tied for 11th most in MLS, and two assists. He also helped the Timbers win the MLS is Back Tournament, appearing in all seven of the team’s matches and scoring four goals – one in each of their three Group Stage games and one against the Philadelphia Union in the semifinals.
So far in 2021, Ebobisse has scored four goals in 13 appearances (11 starts). He and Quakes forward Cade Cowell are two of just eight American players with at least four goals this season.
Ebobisse, of Cameroonian and Malagasy descent, was born in Paris, France before moving to the United States at two years old and later choosing to represent the U.S. at the international level. After helping the U.S. U-20s win their first-ever Concacaf U-20 Championship in 2017, he competed at the FIFA U-20 World Cup later that year and scored two goals. With the U.S. U-20s and U-23s, Ebobisse played alongside new teammates Jackson Yueill and JT Marcinkowski. He has since made one appearance for the senior national team, starting in a friendly vs. Panama in January of 2019.
Ebobisse played two years at Duke University (2014-15), where he tallied nine goals and seven assists in 38 appearances. He also represented D.C. United’s U-23 side in the Premier Development League (PDL) in 2015. After leaving Duke, Ebobisse scored one goal in five appearances for USL side Charleston Battery in 2016 before entering the 2017 MLS SuperDraft.
Ebobisse was named a finalist for the 2020 MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the Year award for his contributions on the Executive Board of the Black Players for Change organization. The award was ultimately given directly to the organization for their work to bridge the racial equality gap that exists in society.
Jeremy Ebobisse
Position: Forward
Height: 6-0
Weight: 174 lbs.
Born: Feb. 14, 1997 in Paris, France
Preferred Foot: Left
Hometown: Bethesda, Md.
Previous Club: Portland Timbers
College: Duke University
Roster Designation: Domestic
Transaction: San Jose Earthquakes (MLS) – Earthquakes acquire F Jeremy Ebobisse from the Portland Timbers in exchange for $1.167 million of future General Allocation Money (GAM) and signed him to a new contract through the 2024 MLS season.
