JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Sporting Club Jacksonville announced on Tuesday it had signed midfielders Jacob Evans, Ezekiel Soto, Piero Elias and Wan Kuzain ahead of the 2026 USL Championship season. The transactions are  pending league and federation approval.

“Jacob, Ezekiel, Piero and Wan each bring something different to our midfield group,” said Head Coach Liam Fox. “Collectively, they give us intelligence on the ball, range in possession and an ability to control matches. This group forms an important part of the foundation we’re building as we move toward our first season.”

Soto joins Jacksonville having previously competed for both the Charleston Battery in the USL Championship and Greenville Triumph SC in USL League One during the 2025 campaign. The 19-year-old recorded one goal in nine appearances while on loan with Triumph, his first in the professional ranks, while also recording 10 chances created in 793 minutes of action.

A former Houston Dynamo Academy product, Soto has previously competed in the U.S. Youth National Team system, recording 14 appearances and five goals through the U-17 level including helping the side reach the final of the 2023 Concacaf U-17 Championship with two goals and one assist in six appearances.

Kuzain joins Sporting JAX with extensive experience in the USL Championship at Sporting Kansas City II, where he began his career in the 2017 season as a USL Academy signing. The 27-year-old recorded eight goals and three assists in 80 appearances for SKC II and Rio Grande Valley FC before joining St. Louis CITY2 of MLS NEXT Pro. In St. Louis he recorded nine goals and seven assists in 65 appearances, and this past campaign helped the side win the regular season title.

Evans arrives in Jacksonville having spent the past three seasons in MLS NEXT Pro, where he has logged 16 goals and 12 assists in 82 appearances for Houston Dynamo 2 and Carolina Core FC. The 28-year-old had previously competed collegiately at both UNC Wilmington and the University of St. Thomas, where he appeared in 72 matches, scoring 24 goals and adding 17 assists.

Elias joins Sporting JAX after spending the past two seasons with New York City FC II of MLS NEXT Pro, where he recorded 11 goals and 11 assists in 77 appearances over the past three seasons. A native of New York, the 23-year-old earned his First Team debut for NYCFC in July 2024, while also making five appearances in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup during NYCFC II’s run to the Round of 16 in the 2024 tournament.