Ismaila Jome has left Spokane Velocity FC to retire from professional football, bringing an end to the left-back’s career after a confirmed free transfer out of the USL League One side. The move from Spokane to retired status was completed on 08/12/2025, with no transfer fee involved and his playing contract effectively ending on the same date.
The 31-year-old, who holds nationality with both The Gambia and the United States, departs the game with a final listed market value of €125k. His exit means Spokane lose an experienced defender who had joined the club from free agency earlier in 2024, having most recently played for San Antonio FC in the USL Championship before a spell without a club.
Jome’s transfer history charts a steady journey through the landscape of North American football. After college football with the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, he appeared on loan with Ventura County Fusion before signing for Minnesota United FC (NASL) in 2016. He then moved into Major League Soccer with Minnesota United FC, before spells in the USL Championship with Nashville SC, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, Austin Bold FC and San Antonio FC. A move to the Portland Timbers brought him into an MLS environment again, followed by minutes with Portland Timbers 2, prior to his late-career stop in Spokane.
Primarily a left-back, Jome was also listed generally as a defender and brought notable height at 1.85m, giving him a physical presence on the flank. Over the course of his career, his market value rose as high as €200k during his time with Colorado Springs and Portland, reflecting periods when he was a regular and established figure at USL Championship level and on the fringes of MLS squads. By the end of his time at Spokane Velocity FC, that valuation had stabilised at €125k, underlining that he remained considered a useful professional option in the lower tiers of the US system.
The defender’s path remained entirely within the United States, despite his Gambian roots and dual-national status. While he was registered under The Gambia and United States and could have represented either setup, the available data lists him as retired at national-team level with no further international detail, and there is no record here of him moving into overseas leagues before ending his career.
His late-career transfers show a recurring pattern of short contracts and moves via free agency, including multiple periods recorded as “Without Club” between stints at Nashville, Austin Bold, Portland, San Antonio and finally Spokane. The final switch from Spokane Velocity FC to retirement continues that theme of contract-based exits without fees, but this time signals a definitive close rather than another stopgap move.
Born in Banjul on 04/11/1994, Jome leaves the professional game having spent nearly a decade in senior football across NASL, MLS and the USL pyramid. From college soccer in California to professional roles in Minnesota, Tennessee, Colorado, Texas, Oregon and Washington, his career traces the breadth of the modern American club scene. His retirement means he will not add to that record in future seasons, but it secures his status as a player who carved out a long-standing career across multiple levels of the US game before deciding to step away on 08/12/2025.
