SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that defender Francois Affolter has obtained a U.S. green card and no longer occupies an international spot on the club's roster. The green card drops the Quakes from eight international players to seven.

Affolter, 27, joined San Jose in July 2017 and made his Quakes debut on Aug. 12 against the Houston Dynamo. In total, he has made 11 starts in 13 appearances for the club. Prior to joining the Quakes, Affolter spent three seasons with FC Luzern of the Swiss Super League, where he made 116 appearances in all competitions. He also made 18 appearances in international cup competitions throughout his career, including Europa League qualifiers, Europa League and Champions League qualifiers.

San Jose currently has seven international players under contract for 2018: defenders Guram Kashia, Harold Cummings, Joel Qwiberg and Yeferson Quintana, midfielders Magnus Eriksson and Vako, and forward Danny Hoesen. Defender Paul Marie is on loan with the Quakes’ USL affiliate Reno 1868 FC and does not occupy an international roster spot.