The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the club has signed eight players to MLS NEXT Pro professional contracts with Earthquakes II. Five of the eight players competed collegiately in Northern California, including players who represented Cal, UC Davis, Santa Clara, and San Jose State.
Earthquakes II will also feature amateur Quakes Academy players and young first team players.
Below are bios for the eight players signed to MLS NEXT Pro contracts (listed alphabetically by last name):
Max Arfsten – University of California, Davis
Arfsten, 20, played two seasons at UC Davis. Arfsten tallied one goal and one assist in 19 appearances (16 starts) as a true freshman in 2019, earning a spot on the Big West Conference All-Freshman Team. After the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Arfsten had a breakout sophomore year in which he tallied eight goals and seven assists in 20 appearances to win the Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Year award. Arfsten is a native of Fresno, Calif., and attended San Joaquin Memorial High School where he was a two-time league MVP and notched 50 goals and 20 assists as a senior. He graduated with 95 goals and 57 assists to his credit.
Transaction: Earthquakes II signs Max Arfsten to MLS NEXT Pro professional contract.
Position: Forward
Height: 6-1
Weight: 170 lbs.
Born: April 19, 2001
Preferred Foot: Left
Hometown: Fresno, Calif.
Previous Club: University of California, Davis
College: University of California, Davis
Jerry Ayon
Jerry Ayon, 20, played for Mexico’s Monarcas Morelia and represented the United States at the U16 and U18 levels. He joined the Quakes Academy in 2019.
Transaction: Earthquakes II signs Jerry Ayon to MLS NEXT Pro professional contract.
Pronunciation: i-OHN
Position: Forward
Height: 5-8
Weight: 144 lbs.
Born: Sept. 16, 2001
Preferred Foot: Right
Hometown: Salinas, Calif.
Previous Club: Quakes Academy
College: N/A
Eduardo ‘Lalo’ Blancas
Eduardo Blancas, 20, played as a center forward for the Quakes Academy where he spent time training with Reno 1868 FC and earned call-ups to the United States U16 National Team and Mexico U17 National Team. He also previously played for the LA Galaxy U18 Academy and Real Salt Lake U16 Academy.
Transaction: Earthquakes II signs Eduardo ‘Lalo’ Blancas to MLS NEXT Pro professional contract.
Pronunciation: BLAHN-kus
Position: Forward
Height: 5-10
Weight: 155 lbs.
Born: Nov. 14, 2001
Preferred Foot: Right
Hometown: Napa, Calif.
Previous Club: Quakes Academy
College: N/A
Rudi Castro – San Jose State University
Rudi Castro, 23, began his collegiate career at West Valley College where he was named to the United Soccer Coaches Junior College Division III All-America team in 2018 after tallying 23 goals and 19 assists as a sophomore. He then played three years at San Jose State where he made 39 appearances (37 starts) and tallied 20 goals and 16 assists.
In 2019, he scored a team-leading nine goals, second most in the Western Athletic Conference, earning Second Team All-WAC honors. Ahead of the 2020-21 season, Castro was named to TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Preseason Top 100 Team. He tallied a conference-leading 10 assists, earned two WAC Offensive Player of the Week selections, and was named First Team All-WAC that season. As a senior in 2021, Castro finished with seven goals and four assists in 12 appearances to lead the Spartans to the WAC Quarterfinals and earn First Team All-WAC honors for the second consecutive year. His free kick goal vs. Utah Valley in the Quarterfinals landed at No. 6 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays.
Castro attended Lincoln High School in San Jose and played for De Anza Force SC, where he was coached by Shaun Tsakiris, father of Quakes midfielder Niko Tsakiris.
Transaction: Earthquakes II signs Rudi Castro to MLS NEXT Pro professional contract.
Position: Forward
Height: 5-9
Weight: 170 lbs.
Born: Sept. 15, 1998
Preferred Foot: Right
Hometown: San Jose, Calif.
Previous Club: San Jose State University
College: San Jose State University
Eric De La Cerda
Eric De La Cerda, 20, played in the Quakes Academy before joining the Quakes’ former USL Championship affiliate Reno 1868 FC. He started five matches during the 2020 season, leading Reno to an undefeated 4-0-1 record in his appearances.
Transaction: Earthquakes II signs Eric De La Cerda to MLS NEXT Pro professional contract.
Pronunciation: day-luh-SARE-duh
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 5-8
Weight: 180 lbs.
Born: June 25, 2001
Preferred Foot: Right
Hometown: Gilroy, Calif.
Previous Club: Reno 1868 FC (USL-C)
College: N/A
Christopher ‘CJ’ Grey – University of California, Berkeley
Grey, 22, was a five-year starter at Cal following a standout youth career in the Quakes Academy. At Cal, Grey made 60 starts in 75 total appearances and tallied one goal and six assists from the left back position. He earned First Team All-Pac-12 honors as a senior, Second Team All-Pac-12 honors as a fifth-year senior, and All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention as a junior. During his youth career, Grey earned call-ups to the United States U18 National Team and Jamaica U20 National Team. He was also a U.S. Soccer Development Academy West Conference Best XI selection during the 2015-16 season.
Transaction: Earthquakes II signs Christopher Grey to MLS NEXT Pro professional contract.
Position: Defender
Height: 5-10
Weight: 158 lbs.
Born: Sept. 17, 1999
Preferred Foot: Left
Hometown: San Jose, Calif.
Previous Club: University of California, Berkeley
College: University of California, Berkeley
Omar Lemus – San Jose State University
Omar Lemus, 23, competed for San Jose State University for five years, tallying 11 goals and 16 assists across 84 appearances (71 starts). He began his collegiate career with a solid freshman season in which he earned All-WAC Freshman Team honors. As a sophomore, Lemus scored a team-leading six goals and added five assists to earn All-WAC Honorable Mention and All-WAC Tournament recognition. Lemus, who was born in Santa Ana, moved to San Jose and competed for the Quakes Academy before joining SJSU.
Transaction: Earthquakes II signs Omar Lemus to MLS NEXT Pro professional contract.
Pronunciation: LEE-mus
Position: Defender
Height: 5-10
Weight: 157 lbs.
Born: Aug. 17, 1998
Preferred Foot: Right
Hometown: San Jose, Calif.
Previous Club: San Jose State University
College: San Jose State University
Miles Robinson
Miles Robinson, 23, competed collegiately for the Santa Clara University Broncos between 2016-19 after representing the D.C. United Academy. Robinson was named Second Team All-West Coast Conference as a junior in 2018 after tallying four goals and three assists but missed his senior season to injury. He departed Santa Clara with seven goals and seven assists in 43 total appearances (25 starts).
Transaction: Earthquakes II signs Miles Robinson to MLS NEXT Pro professional contract.
Position: Midfielder
Height: 6-3
Weight: 160 lbs.
Born: June 30, 1998
Preferred Foot: Right
Hometown: Woodbridge, VA
Previous Club: D.C. United Academy
College: Santa Clara University
