San Jose Earthquakes land Salvadoran midfielder, US Olympic team killer Jaime Alas on loan

Jaime Alas

The San Jose Earthquakes announced Wednesday that they have acquired Salvadoran national team midfielder Jaime Alas on loan from Rosenborg BK pending receipt of his ITC and P-1 visa.


Per league and team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.


Alas, 23, appeared in three Tippeligaen games for Rosenborg BK in 2012 and also came off the bench in two Europa League matches, including a 1-0 loss against German power Bayer Leverkusen. He joined the Norwegian side on Aug. 1, 2012 on a transfer from Salvadoran side CD Luis Ángel Firpo.


Alas began his professional career with CD Firpo where he parlayed his success to a Salvadoran national team call-up in 2010 at the age of 21.


“We’re really excited to have Jaime,” said Earthquakes interim head coach Mark Watson in a team statement. “We’ve been monitoring him for a long time and we’re delighted to finally have him on board.”



Alas has been a mainstay on the Salvadoran national team, and is perhaps best known in US soccer circles as the player who scored the late equalizer in a 3-3 draw against the United States to knock the Americans out of contention while advancing El Salvador to the semifinals of the 2012 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying.


Alas is currently with La Selecta for the Gold Cup, and will report to San Jose’s camp following his participation in the tournament.


“Jaime’s a player who we had in a year ago and during our 2013 preseason,” Earthquakes general manager John Doyle said in a statement. “We’ve kept tabs on him and are excited to bring him into the fold.”