San Jose Earthquakes sign Chance Cowell to Homegrown Player contract
The San Jose Earthquakes have signed three promising youngsters to Homegrown Player Contracts: Oscar Verhoeven, Edwyn Mendoza and Chance Cowell.
The trio of young players have gained experience for both club and country. Cowell has competed for both the U.S. and Mexico youth national teams while Verhoeven and Mendoza have been apart of the U-17 U.S. squad.
"Oscar and Edwyn have already emerged as leaders for both club and country at a young age, and Chance is a player who is close to our Quakes family and we have been keeping our eye on," Earthquakes general manager Chris Leitch said.
"We’re grateful to come to an agreement on professional contacts for all three players and are excited to watch their respective promising careers develop."
1. Oscar Verhoeven
Verhoeven joins the Western Conference team on a Homegrown Player Contract through the 2025 season with options to extend his stay until 2027. Verhoeven has featured 13 times for the U.S. U-17 National team.
Like Mendoza, Verhoeven was central the U.S. U-17 national team's run to the Concacaf U-17 Championship final as he started five games during the tournament, including the final game against Mexico.
2. Edwyn Mendoza
Mendoza joins Earthquakes II on an MLS Next Pro Contract that is effective for the 2023 season before officially becoming a homegrown player in 2024. His MLS contract runs through the 2027 season with an option to extend for a further season.
For the U-17 U.S. National team, Mendoza has made 10 appearances and was key in their run to the 2023 Concacaf U-17 Championship.
3. Chance Cowell
Cowell joins Earthquakes II alongside Mendoza on an MLS Next Pro Contract for the 2023 season before becoming a Homegrown Player next season.
His MLS contract keeps him in San Jose through the 2027 season with an option to extend for a further season. Cowell is the brother of Cade Cowell, who has become a regular starter for the Earthquakes first team in recent seasons. On the international level, Cowell has been called up to the U-15 Mexico national team three times and was called up to the U-15 U.S. squad earlier this year. The dual-nationality player is a figure to watch for both Mexico and the United States.