Los Gatos High School's Niko Tsakiris Signs With SJ Earthquakes

LOS GATOS, CA — Niko Tsakiris, a 16-year-old Saratoga native and Los Gatos High School student, signed a five-year contract with the San Jose Earthquakes last week.

Tsakiris, the fifth youngest player in club history, signed a Homegrown Player contract through 2025, with a club option for 2026. Tsakiris also played for the Quakes Academy, becoming the 10th player from the club’s youth program to sign with the big club.

"I'm thankful for the opportunity and humbled by it," Tsakiris said in a news release. "I'm looking forward to being a part of this group and growing along with the team. I can't wait to get started."

Tsakiris is the No. 2 player in the Northern California and Hawaii Region for the Class of 2024, according to TopDrawerSoccer.

Tsakiris joined the Quakes Academy in 2017, after a training sint at IMG Academy in Florida when he was 10 years old. He also grew up competing at De Anza Force Soccer Club.

At the national level, Tsakiris attended the United States U15 Boys’ National Team camp in March 2020. He is also the son of Shaun Tsakiris, an assistant coach of the U.S. U20 Boys’ National Team.

"Niko is an incredibly promising young player that we integrated into First Team training sessions throughout the 2021 season in preparation for this opportunity," Earthquakes General Manager Chris Leitch said in a news release. "We've always been impressed by his soccer intelligence and technical skill as an attacking player and have a development plan in place to help him reach his potential in San Jose.”