CHICAGO, Ill. – The San Jose Earthquakes selected Siad Haji (sy-EED HAH-g) with the second overall selection in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft in Chicago on Friday afternoon. Haji is a member of the 2019 Generation adidas class.
“It's like a dream come true,” Haji said soon after being drafted. “I'm so excited for this opportunity and I'm excited to meet the coaches, players and fans. I'm really ready to work hard.”
Haji, 19, was the second-youngest player eligible for selection in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft (12/1/1999). As a freshman at New England College in 2016, he scored a team-leading nine goals in 14 games and led the Pilgrims to their first North Atlantic Conference men's soccer championship. Haji then transferred to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), where he tallied seven goals and 18 assists in 37 appearances across two seasons. As a junior in 2018, he was named First Team All-Southeast Region, First Team All-Atlantic 10 Conference, and the Atlantic 10 Conference Midfielder of the Year after recording five goals and 10 assists in 18 starts.
Haji is a product of the United States Youth National Team system, where he’s played for the U-15s, U-17s, U-19 and U-20s. He competed with the U.S. U-20s as recently as May of 2018, where he participated in two friendlies against Honduras.
A native of Kakuma, Kenya, Haji and his family were granted asylum in the United States when he was four years old.
