The San Jose Earthquakes have signed captain Chris Wondolowski to a multi-year contract, the team announced Friday.
Wondolowski, a forward, has seven goals this season and 116 in 240 games in his career, since entering the league in 2005. His goals total has him fourth on the all-time list for MLS and he is 29 goals away from becoming the league’s all-time top goalscorer.
“Chris has been a leader for our club and our community for a long time,” said Earthquakes general manager John Doyle in a team statement. “We’re proud and excited that he will continue to represent the organization at the highest level and we’re looking forward to seeing him in a Quakes jersey for years to come.”
“He’s meant everything to this team,’’ Earthquakes head coach Dominic Kinnear added. “I think he’s been a great leader on the field and a great citizen off of it. The accomplishments he has made as a San Jose Earthquake have been nothing short of incredible and it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.”
Wondolowski, 33, is a three-time MLS All-Star and three-time member of the MLS Best XI, has twice won the Golden Boot as the league’s top goalscorer, in 2010 and 2012. He won two MLS Cups (in 2006 and 2007) as a member of the Houston Dynamo.
“Signing a new contract means the world to me. It’s a huge honor,” Wondolowski said. “I love this club and I want to be a part of it. I’m excited for the future and where we’re headed.”
In a press conference on Friday, Wondolowski addressed the timing of the deal, saying he was willing to wait until other offseason moves were complete.
"Both sides knew -- I told them that I wanted to be here and it wasn't a priority [in preseason to sign a new deal], there were other guys, we had to get Alberto [Quintero] and we were doing the Simon Dawkins deal. So I told them 'Please get those guys done first, and I know that we'll get it done at some point.'"
And while Wondolowski said he would have had the opportunity to become a free agent in MLS after the season before signing this new contract, he emphasized his desire to remain with San Jose.
"I want to be here for the rest of my career. I love this organization, I love this team."
