Espinoza leaves Quakes for Nashville, Arango gets new San Jose deal

SAN JOSE — Earthquakes captain Cristian Espinoza has left the club after seven seasons, signing a free-agent deal with Nashville SC.

The announcement Friday came on a day that the Quakes unveiled a new deal for striker Chicho Arango, 30, whom San Jose acquired from Real Salt Lake last January.

In 30 games last season, the Colombian had 13 goals and seven assists and received San Jose’s offensive player of the year award. Arango will remain a designated player on the roster.

His contract runs through December 2027, with club options through June 2028 and the 2028-29 season (after MLS switches to winter calendar rather than summer).

“I’m very happy to sign a new contract and stay in San Jose,” Arango said through a translator in the team’s news release. “We have unfinished business. I believe in the project, and my family and I want to make history here.”

San Jose acquired Arango in exchange for $700,000 in General Allocation Money in 2025, $700,000 in GAM in 2026 and a 2026 international slot, according to the club.

“We’re pleased to re-sign Chicho Arango,” coach Bruce Arena said in the news release. “He has consistently been one of the league’s top scorers while also displaying the ability to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. We look forward to seeing him in our attack for years to come.”

Espinoza, a 30-year-old midfielder from Argentina, had 36 goals and 70 assists in 218 MLS matches for San Jose and was a two-time MLS All-Star. He is the franchise’s all-time assists leader.

The Quakes offered Espinoza more than any club could under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, a source close to the situation told the Bay Area News Group. But the coveted free-agent accepted a deal from Nashville as the club’s third designated player.

“Cristian has been one of the more creative and dynamic playmakers in Major League Soccer, and we are very excited to be able to add him to our club,” Mike Jacobs, Nashville’s President of Soccer Operations and General Manager, said in a news release. “He makes our attacking corps more versatile and flexible, and we think he’s a tremendous fit and key piece to our group.”

Espinoza’s departure will no doubt leave a sizable hole in San Jose’s attack as the Quakes aim to end a two-season playoff drought.

He led the club in assists last season with 12 and added four goals.

Espinoza’s deal with Nashville runs through 2028, with options through June 2029 and the 2029-30 MLS season.