Quakes get defensive help from Europe

The Earthquakes boosted their flagging defense with the signing of Swiss center back Francois Affolter, the team announced Friday.

The move comes when coach Chris Leitch has had to rely on a makeshift backline because of injuries and suspensions. Affolter, who comes to Major League Soccer from FC Luzern of the Swiss Super League, signed a multiyear contract, pending receipt of a work visa and transfer papers approved by international soccer officials.

Affolter, 26, is the fifth European signed by Jesse Fioranelli, a Swiss general manager who is hell bent on reshaping the Quakes in his first season. Affolter played with wide midfielder Jahmir Hyka at Luzern for the previous three years. Fioranelli also has signed Germany defender Florian Jungwirth, Dutch striker Danny Hoesen and attacking midfielder Valeri Qazaishvili of the Republic of Georgia.

Affolter, a 6-foot-1 defender, also played for SV Werder Bremen of the German Bundesliga while on loan in 2012, the year he represented Switzerland at the London Olympics.

Affolter joins San Jose (78-5, 26 points) as it fell to seventh place in the Western Conference after losing to the New York Red Bulls this week. The Quakes travel to sixth-place Seattle on Sunday. The latest signing could spell the end for central defender Victor Bernardez, 35, who is in his final year of his contract.

• Cal’s Indigo Gibson and Stanford’s Tegan McGrady are headed to Seattle to join the U.S. Under-23 women’s national team for training camp this week.

Golf

Concord’s Yealimi Noh took second in the Girls Junior PGA Championship in St. Albans, Missouri. Irvine’s Rose Zhang won the tournament with a recordtying score of 20-under 268. Noh finished second alone with a 14-under 274. Defending champion Lucy Li of Redwood Shores finished in a tie for third (276) after a 2-under 70.

Men’s basketball

Santa Clara will meet Idaho in opening-round action of the 2017 Great Alaska Shootout, an eightteam tournament set for Thanksgiving week at the University of Alaska Anchorage. The Broncos and Vandals will face off on Wednesday, Nov. 22, at 6:30 p.m. Pacific in Alaska Airlines Arena. The winner advances to the semifinals to face either CSU Bakersfield or the host Seawolves on Nov. 24. The consolation bracket begins on Nov. 23.

Cal Poly, Central Michigan, College of Charleston and Sam Houston State are the remaining participants. BANG wire reports contributed to this report.