SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sacramento Republic FC announced on Tuesday the club had signed defender Ermias Yohannes, midfielder Blake Willey, and forward Ethan Kelly to USL Academy contracts for the 2023 USL Championship season. All three players are currently members of Republic FC’s U-17 Academy squad.

“Our youth academy continues to be the best in the region at developing talented players and preparing them for the next level,” said Republic FC President and General Manager Todd Dunivant. “Signing Ermias, Blake, and Ethan to Academy contracts shows the strength of our youth system.”

“Our academy continues to provide unique opportunities to its players no other club can,” said Republic FC Academy Director Eder Quintanilla. “Ermias, Ethan, and Blake all have a bright future ahead of them and have earned this opportunity with the First Ream.”

All three players featured for Sacramento-based youth soccer clubs – Willey at Sacramento United, Yohannes at San Juan Soccer Club, and Kelly at FC Sporting – before moving into Republic FC’s youth development academy.

A Sacramento native, Willey joined the club’s Youth Development Academy in 2017. He has tallied 16 appearances and over 1,300 minutes for the Academy’s U-17 squad this season, scoring one goal. He was voted the team MVP of Sacramento’s U-15 side for the 2021-22 Academy season when his squad advanced to the semifinals of MLS NEXT Cup – the only non-MLS club to reach that phase of the tournament. In 2022, he earned two call-ups to the United States U-16 Youth National Team.

Yohannes joins the First Team having competed for the side this preseason in exhibitions against USL Championship and League One clubs Monterey Bay F.C., Central Valley Fuego FC, and Oakland Roots SC. A Sacramento native, the defender has appeared in 17 matches for the Academy U-17’s this season, leading the squad with more than 1,500 minutes of action while scoring three times. He joined Republic FC’s Academy in 2017.

Kelly also joined Republic FC’s Academy in 2017. The forward has been a strong contributor for the club’s U-17 side for two seasons. Along the way, he has helped his squad reach MLS NEXT Cup playoffs in back-to-back years. In 2022-23, Kelly has appeared in eight games, co-leading his team with eight goals across 500 minutes of play.