Back in 2011, coming off the announcement that the San Jose Earthquakes had struck a partnership with Tottenham Hotspur, the Quakes received on loan from the English Premier League club a promising young midfielder named Simon Dawkins. A product of the Spurs academy, the 23-year-old Dawkins had bounced around on loan for most of his career, but he made the most of his move to MLS and became an important player for San Jose.
He featured in 26 games his first season, scoring 6 goals, and was brought back for a second season on loan.