Quincy Amarikwa’s professional soccer career begins now.
The former UC Davis men’s soccer standout was selected in yesterday’s Major League Soccer’s SuperDraft with the second pick in the third round (No. 32 overall) by the San Jose Earthquakes.
A 5-foot-9, 160-pound forward, Amarikwa was ranked as the No. 4 forward in the draft by ESPN. UC Davis coach Dwayne Shaffer called the Bakersfield, Calif. native the most dominant collegiate striker on the West Coast. He led the Big West Conference with 15 goals.
“Quincy is the most competitive kid I’ve ever coached,” Shaffer said. “He’ll adapt to the pro game quickly because he’s so competitive. Coaches are going to see that kid kind of start shredding some of their players. He’s off the charts athletically compared to 99 percent of college soccer players.“
Amarikwa turned some heads at the adidas MLS Player Combine in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. last weekend. He scored a pair of second-half goals to give his PowerSwerve club a 2-0 win over adiPure on Sunday.
Midfielder Dylan Curtis, who participated in the combine with Amarikwa, went undrafted. Curtis, UC Davis‘ single-season record holder for assists, was ranked as the draft’s No. 6 midfielder, according to ESPN.
Curtis is expected to latch on with a MLS club through the free agent trials process.
UC Davis midfielders Sule Anibaba and Ian Conklin and defender Jordan Vanderpoorten will also participate in the trials.
Text by ADAM LOBERSTEIN Photos by JOEY KUNIN
