{"id":16302,"date":"2026-02-09T16:49:44","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T22:49:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsengine-develop.go-vip.net\/forwardmadisonfc\/?post_type=sec_roster&#038;p=16302"},"modified":"2026-02-09T16:49:45","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T22:49:45","slug":"aj-edwards","status":"publish","type":"sec_roster","link":"https:\/\/sportsengine-develop.go-vip.net\/forwardmadisonfc\/roster\/aj-edwards\/","title":{"rendered":"AJ EDWARDS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Position:\u00a0<\/strong>Defender<br><strong>Age:\u00a0<\/strong>23<br><strong>Hometown:\u00a0<\/strong>San Jose, California<br><strong>Height:\u00a0<\/strong>6&#8242;<br><strong>Previous team:<\/strong>\u00a0Sacramento Republic FC<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Forward Madison FC has signed former Sacramento Republic FC Defender, AJ Edwards, pending league and federation approval. With experience at both the MLS Next Pro and USL Championship level, Edwards stands to bring a wealth of skill to the Mingos.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAJ is a player we\u2019ve been tracking who we feel adds dynamism and final product to our group immediately,\u201d said Forward Madison FC Head Coach &amp; Technical Director, Matt Glaeser. \u201cHe\u2019s a skilled player who\u2019s athletic and versatile which are all attributes we value greatly. We\u2019re very excited to have him with us and look forward to his contributions for a productive season.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A San Jose, California-native, Edwards began his soccer journey with the San Jose Earthquakes Academy where he became the top-ranked Forward and No.2-ranked player overall in Northern California per TopDrawerSoccer. Edwards began his collegiate career in 2021 playing NCAA Division 1 soccer with UCLA. Spending two years with the Bruins, he logged 39 appearances and contributed two goals and five assists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re delighted to add AJ to the group. He\u2019s got an exciting style of play combining speed, power and goal contributions from out wide,\u201d said Forward Madison FC Sporting Director, Matt Cairns. \u201cHaving tracked him closely over the last couple of seasons where he\u2019s had success in both USLC and MLSNP, we\u2019re confident he\u2019s about to play the best soccer of his career in a Forward Madison jersey.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Edwards signed his first professional contract in 2023, joining the San Jose Earthquakes II at the MLS NEXT Pro level. He put up a solid rookie season with 18 appearances, notching three assists and reaching the MLS NEXT Pro Quarterfinals. In 2024 when the club rebranded to, \u201cThe Town FC\u201d, Edwards had a breakout season scoring seven goals, contributing four assists and being named Team MVP.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most recently, Edwards spent 2025 in the USL Championship league playing for Sacramento Republic FC. Making 23 appearances across all competitions, Edwards logged 442 minutes and one goal.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m extremely excited to feel the energy and hear our fans during our home games,\u201d said Edwards.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Position:\u00a0DefenderAge:\u00a023Hometown:\u00a0San Jose, CaliforniaHeight:\u00a06&#8242;Previous team:\u00a0Sacramento Republic FC Forward Madison FC has signed former Sacramento Republic FC Defender, AJ Edwards, pending league and federation approval. With experience at both the MLS Next [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":547,"featured_media":16263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"sec_roster_banner_image_details_image":null,"sec_roster_banner_image_details_disable_banner_image":"enable","sec_roster_uniform_number":0,"sec_roster_sponsor_image":0,"sec_roster_sponsor_text":"","sec_roster_sponsor_link":"","sec_roster_social_twitter":"","sec_roster_social_instagram":"","sec_roster_social_tiktok":"","sec_roster_hide_school_on_catalog_archive":false,"sec_player_details_testimonial":"","sec_player_details_dob":"","sec_player_details_school":"","sec_player_details_grad_year":0,"sec_player_details_hometown":"","sec_player_details_website":"","sec_player_details_gold":0,"sec_player_details_silver":0,"sec_player_details_bronze":0,"sec_player_details_high_school":"","sec_player_details_height":"","sec_player_details_weight":0},"sec_roster_position":[],"sec_sponsor":[],"sec_roster_group":[],"sec_roster_status":[],"sec_roster_type":[],"class_list":["post-16302","sec_roster","type-sec_roster","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>AJ EDWARDS - Forward Madison FC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AJ EDWARDS - Forward Madison FC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Position:\u00a0DefenderAge:\u00a023Hometown:\u00a0San Jose, CaliforniaHeight:\u00a06&#8242;Previous team:\u00a0Sacramento Republic FC Forward Madison FC has signed former Sacramento Republic FC Defender, AJ Edwards, pending league and federation approval. 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