Oakland Roots announced the release of star midfielder Benji Joya after his arrest for allegedly sending photos of his genitals to a 16-year-old girl.

Hector Benjamin “Benji” Joya Jimenez, 26, was arrested on Wednesday by the San Jose Police Department and charged with ‘Sending Harmful Matter to a Minor,’ a felony crime, and another count of ‘Annoy or Molest a Child under 18 years,’ a misdemeanor.

According to the SJPD, Joya befriended the San Jose teenager in March and communicated with her via Snapchat. He sent several genital photos during that period. After his arrest, he was booked into Santa Clara County Jail.

On Thursday afternoon the Roots released the following statement:

“Today, the Oakland Roots were disappointed to learn that midfielder Benji Joya was arrested in San Jose on Wednesday. Therefore, the Club has decided to release him. The Roots will have no further comment on this issue given the ongoing investigation.”

Joya was the star midfielder for the first year Oakland soccer club and was instrumental in orchestrating the teams’ offense. He was one of the most prominent faces of the squad and a fan favorite. He repeatedly thanked the thousands of fans, including hundreds of friends from San Jose, that sold out every Roots home game at Laney Stadium.

Before joining the Roots, Joya played in top professional leagues in Mexico and the United States.

A Bay Area native from San Jose, Joya developed as a youth soccer player playing for De Anza Force of the USSF Development Academy.

In 2011 he joined soccer powerhouse Santos Laguna signed him as an eighteen-year-old. In 2012, Joya made his first appearance for the Liga MX team.

Joya also was part of the US Men’s Soccer youth teams. He was the captain of the US Men’s U-20’s that finished second in the 2013 CONCACAF U-20 Championship. Later that year Joya played for the USA in the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

In 2014, Santos loaned him out to the Chicago Fire. Joya scored within a minute after entering the game as a substitute in his debut match for the MLS side. He played twelve games for the Fire. After his loan ended, he played for Mexico club Necaxa in 2015. In 2016 he was signed by Sporting Kansas City but was released before the start of the season.

In 2018 he joined third-division Mexican side Irapuato and then made several appearances for the American fourth division side UPSL Oakland Stompers to stay match fit until he was signed by the Oakland Roots for their first campaign. Joya is also a youth soccer coach for Liverpool Club International Academy Bay Area.

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Douglas Zimmerman curates the Beautiful Blog, which covers the ‘beautiful game’ of soccer in the Bay Area and around the world. He recently released a photo book documenting the fans of the World Cup that he started in 2002.

Follow on Twitter: @zimpix