SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio FC announced on Wednesday the club had signed defender Ismaila Jome for the remainder of the 2023 USL Championship season, pending league and federation approval. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ish to the Team. In his time in the USL, he was among the elite left-backs in the league,” said SAFC Head Coach Alen Marcina. “Ish is a two-way player who is dominant in 1vs1 situations. He is hungry to succeed and is committed to working hard and positively impacting our Team Identity.”

Last season, Jome appeared in 17 matches, 10 starts, with Portland Timbers 2 in MLS NEXT Pro. With T2, the UC Santa Barbara product scored twice and assisted twice. In 2021, Jome made his debut for the Portland Timbers in Major League Soccer before suffering a season-ending injury in April of the campaign.

Jome had previously made 12 MLS appearances and seven starts for Minnesota in 2017, before posting a strong 2018 season in the USL Championship with Nashville SC. In 22 appearances, the defender assisted twice. Then in 2019, Jome had his most successful offensive season with four goals and seven assists in 34 matches with Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.

In total, the Banjul, Gambia, native has tallied six goals and 11 assists in 68 regular season USL Championship matches.

Additionally, Jome becomes the second Gaucho on the SAFC roster, joining Lamar Batista in previously attending UCSB. Jome’s final season in southern California was 2015, with Batista joining as a true freshman in 2016. Both defenders were First Team All-Big West selections in their freshman seasons.