Salvadoran international forward Ronald Cerritos has signed a multi-year contract with MLS and will return to the San Jose Clash next season, the club announced Jan. 13. “Ronald Cerritos may be the most exciting young player in Major League Soccer,” said Clash GM Peter Bridgwater. “Re-signing him to a multi-year contract is a tremendous demonstration of MLS’s commitment to San Jose.” Cerritos, who recently turned 23, led San Jose in scoring with 12 goals and 10 assists in 1997, and set an MLS record by scoring or assisting in 11 straight games. “Putting Ronald and Eric [Wynalda] together gives us one of the best scoring combinations in MLS,” said San Jose coach Brian Quinn. “And signing Ronald to a multi-year contract gives us a chance to build not only for 1998 but into the future.” Terms of the contract were not announced, but Bridgwater said that MLS has purchased Cerritos’ contract — he is no longer simply on loan from his former club, ADET of El Salvador. “It’s a significant difference,” Bridgwater added. “I can say with some confidence that it means Ronald will be our player into the next century.”