San Jose Earthquakes have signed defender Paul Marie and forward Benji Kikanović to new contract extensions, keeping them at the club through the 2026 Major League Soccer season.
The Western Conferece team’s 2023 season came to an end in the Wild Card phase of the postseason, as they fell in penalty kicks to Sporting Kansas City. But now, the team has had more time to plan ahead for the 2024 campaign.
Both players joined San Jose from Reno 1868 FC, a former USL side that was the Earthquakes affiliate club for the league before shutting down in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Marie’s current contract was set to expire at the end of the year, while San Jose still had club options in Kikanović’s case.
“Benji and Paul have been consummate professionals and have shown their ability to compete in this league, San Jose general manager Chris Leitch said in a release. “We’re excited to welcome them back in the fold as we continue to move forward and build our roster for the 2024 season.”
Kikanović, who plays as a left-winger, has been with San Jose since the 2021 season, and the 23-year-old has contributed 15 goal involvements in 71 league appearances (32 starts). He struggled to build off his solid 2022 campaign (six goals, three assists) in 2023, as he scored just one goal in 698 minutes played in 24 appearances (seven starts).
Marie, on the other hand, has become an mainstay Earthquakes, as he’s made 108 league appearances (63 starts) for the Western Conference side since arriving Reno 1868 in 2018. The 28-year-old found minutes hard to come by in his first four seasons with the California-based club, but has come on strong in 2022 and 2023.
The defender has made 47 starts over the past two seasons, adding two goals and three assists during that span to become a cornerstone piece of head coach Luchi Gonazez’s backline.
San Jose, with Christian Espinoza leading the charge, are set go gear up for 2024 with pre-season starting in mid-January.
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