Rayo OKC Signs Two More For Inaugural Roster

Rayo OKC has signed two more players to contract for the 2016 season. Defender Erick Norales and midfielder Jarad Van Schaik will join the squad for its inaugural season in the NASL, the club announced Wednesday.

Norales spent the past two seasons playing in the NASL, while Van Schaik played in the United Soccer League (USL) for the past three years.

“We are excited to announce the signings of Erick [Norales] and Jarad [Van Schaik],” Rayo OKC head coach Alen Marcina said. “We have added two players with proven leadership, both of whom have captained their former clubs.”

Norales comes to Rayo OKC after playing for Indy Eleven in 2014 and 2015. Before playing in the NASL, the 30-year-old La Ceiba, Honduras, native played in the Honduran Liga Nacional from 2008 through 2013. The defender played for Vida for one season and Marathón for five seasons in the Honduran league.

Norales has also made 29 appearances for the Honduran national team, including the 2011 and 2014 Copa Centroamericana and in the 2009 and 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cups.

Van Schaik comes to Rayo OKC after spending the past three seasons in the USL playing for Charleston Battery, where he was a team captain.

Before playing in the USL, the 27-year-old Portland, Ore., native played in the NASL for the Puerto Rico Islanders in 2012 and 2013. The midfielder played four years of college soccer at the University of Portland, where he was selected to the West Coast Conference All-Freshmen Team in 2007 and to the WCC All-Conference First Team in 2009 and 2010 as a junior and senior.