San Jose Earthquakes acquire defender Guram Kashia from Vitesse Arnhem

The San Jose Earthquakes announced the acquisition of defender Guram Kashia fromVitesse Arnhem on Thursday.

Kashia, who is from the nation of Georgia, isn't eligible to play for San Jose until the secondary transfer window opens on July 10. The Earthquakes used targeted allocation money to obtain his services.

Kashia, 30, has been the captain of Vitesse, a top-level side in the Netherlands. He appeared for the club in six Europa League games last season, and he had three goals and an assist in Eredivisie league play. Kashia has been with Vitesse since 2010, scoring 25 goals and 18 assists in 293 games.

"To reinforce select positions during the upcoming transfer windows, we began by identifying someone that fit the criteria we were looking for in a high-quality central defender and this was Guram," said Earthquakes general manager Jesse Fioranelli in a team release.

"In addition to his extensive experience, he is a leader both on and off the field and we're confident he will be an important addition to our squad."

Kashia began his pro career with Dinamo Tbilisi in his hometown, notching 12 goals in 91 appearances from 2006-10.

Kashia has also appeared in more than 60 games for Georgia's national team, netting two goals.

The Earthquakes,who are second-from-bottom in the Western Conference standings, already have a Georgian national who formerly played for Vitesse Arnhem in midfielder Valeri "Vako" Qazaishvili.