Minnesota added some local flavor on Friday morning with the signing of forward Ishmaila Jome. Born in Gambia, Jome moved to Minnesota at a young age, growing up in the greater Twin Cities area. Jome ended up playing at Prairie Seeds Academy in the Broadway area of Minneapolis. Over the course of his time at PSA, “Ish” scored 37 goals and notched 33 assists. Serving as the team captain his senior year, Jome was a part of a three-time section winner (including the MSHSL 1A title in 2010 and a runner-up finish in 2011) and capped his prep career as the 2012 Minnesota Mr. Soccer.
In the summer between high school and college, Ish trained with then-Minnesota Stars FC. It was there that he met club legend and (at the time) player-assistant coach Kevin Friedland. “We connected with Ish a few years ago. I knew him from his high school days and I knew his coach at the time. He would train with us during the winter (when he was in high school) when there were only a few pro guys around and the rest were local guys. He did well during the winter so we brought him in before he went to college to train with us the summer after his senior year. He had tools. He had a confidence in the box to take risks I usually didn’t see in such a young player…”
Ish took that confidence to UC-Santa Barbara and found immediate success. He notched 2 goals and 7 assists in his first year, garnering conference Freshman of the Year accolades, as well as making numerous Freshman Best XI lists and making the 2013 All-Big West First Team. He again made the 2014 Big West XI, and was also added to the Hermann Award Watch List for the year. Across three years with UCSB, Jome had 6 goals (2 of which were game-winners) and 15 assists, starting 48 games in total. He saw some time at fullback in a pinch, but rates primarily as a central forward. He listed his dream matchup as Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane in an interview for UCSB, and said he would love to play with Ronaldinho someday (take note, front office).
On the field, Jome could begin to fill the void left by Pablo Campos’ departure. Still a raw player, Jome projects to be a target forward (coming at 6’1). Friedland describes Jome to be “good with both feet, good on the dribble, good size. A good confidence in the box. Not afraid to cut guys up in the box.” During the Simple Invitation in Portland, Jome (wearing #25) saw the field as a substitute against both the Chicago Fire & the Vancouver Whitecaps. He exhibited some strong hold-up play, contributing notably in the Whitecaps game.
Here, Jome uses a quick first touch with his left foot and turn to beat his mark. The play was ultimately snuffed out by left back Sam Adekugbe, but it marked a good control of the ball and awareness for a player of his age.
Jome also played a major role in Minnesota’s best attack of the game.
Again, Ish’s left-footed first touch, control, and awareness were on display. While Christian Ramirez, Stefano Pinho, and JC Banks are finesse forwards (and right-foot dominant), Jome is a stronger, more imposing player. His hold-up play in the box will be a major asset to the team. Consistency will be the first hurdle for him to clear, as is expected with most young forwards. That said, there’s a possibility that Ish could see the field with some regularity along the way this year.
The Rose City Simple Invitational wasn’t his first experience with this team. Jome has trained on-and-off with United over the past few years, building relationships with his new teammates as well as with head coach Carl Craig. “It’s lovely the fact that he’s from Minnesota,” Carl Craig remarked in the official press release issued by the team. “We can develop footballers in Minnesota and have a guy that was brought up in the Cities come to join the group I think is wonderful both for our football club, but certainly shows the community that we’re a community organization.” Friedland, meanwhile, believes that he “has potential to be a long-time player for MN.” As United moves toward MLS, there will be an expectation to establish an academy and (eventually) have true Homegrown signings along the way. Signing Jome is the first step toward this target.
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