BALTIMORE – The San Jose Earthquakes selected UMBC defender Jon Bell (Silver Spring, Md./Richard Montgomery) with their third selection in the 2020 Major League Soccer SuperDraft.
San Jose tabbed Bell with their second pick in the second round. He was the 12th player taken in the second round and the 38th overall selection.
"We are all very excited that Jon got drafted," said Retriever head coach Pete Caringi. "I think San Jose has selected a player who is extremely gifted and who will continue to get better. I think he has a chance to be very successful at the pro level."
After his release from the Earthquakes, New England Revolution II signed Bell to the club's USL League One roster in mid-July. New England Revolution II's inaugural 2020 USL League One campaign is expected to kick off this July.
Bell recently earned NCAA Division I Men's Northeast Region Third Team honors. The left-side fullback fought his way through injuries in both 2018 and 2019 to earn post-season honors. America East coaches selected him to the league's Second Team in consecutive years and Bell landed on the All-Northeast Region First Team as a junior.
Bell joins the growing ranks of Retriever professional soccer players and becomes the seventh UMBC student-athlete to earn a selection since 2011. In 2016, Toronto FC selected forward Darius Madison with the 70th overall selection. Defender Oumar Ballo (Houston, 30th overall selection) and forward Kay Banjo (Vancouver, 38th) were MLS draftees in the winter of 2015. A year earlier, Montreal selected striker Pete Caringi III in the third round, while Chicago tabbed midfielder Kadeem Dacres in the fourth round.
Levi Houapeu, who will be inducted in the UMBC Athletics Hall of Fame in April, was the first Retriever to earn a selection in the Superdraft. The Philadelphia Union tabbed the forward/midfielder with the 41st selection in the 2011 draft.
