BERKELEY, Calif. – California men's soccer has signed five standout student-athletes to National Letters of Intent, head coach Kevin Grimes announced Wednesday. The class is headlined by LA Galaxy academy defender Brian O'Hara, Sacramento Republic FC academy defender David Burns, forward Simon Lekressner, San Jose Earthquakes academy goalkeeper Drake Callender and forward Javier Macias, who has already enrolled at Cal.
“We are really excited about our 2016 signing class,” head coach Kevin Grimes said on Wednesday. “These five players fit perfectly within our team's style of play, as well as our program's culture. We look forward to bringing this group into our program.”
The Bears are coming off of a 2015 season that saw them finish the year at 9-6-2, and are returning all but one member of the young squad from a year ago. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Alex Mangels exits, but the Bears return a very experienced and talented group for the 2016 fall campaign. Rising seniors and Pac-12 first team defender Nick Lima and forward Christian Thierjung are back in the fold, as is rising redshirt junior attacking midfielder Jose Carrera-Garcia and rising junior forward Paul Salcedo.
Read more about each signee below.
Brian O'Hara
Hometown: Corona, Calif.
School: Santiago-Corona/California Connections Academy
Club: Los Angeles Galaxy Academy
Position: Defender
· College Soccer News Ranks O'Hara as the 49th best high school senior in the country on their Top 160 List
· Started for the U-16 LA Galaxy team at center back during his freshman and sophomore seasons
· Helped U-16 side to a 21 match unbeaten streak, which is the longes in academy history and the USSDA National title
· Earned a U-18 national team call-up for the United States as a junior in high school
· Currently holds a 4.0 grade-point-average
David Burns
Hometown: El Dorado Hills, Calif.
School: Charter University Prep
Club: Sacramento Republic FC Academy
Position: Defender
· Ranked as a four-star prospect by TopDrawerSoccer.com
· Invited to U.S. U-20 camp this past January, alongside current Bears goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann
· Has also been a member of the U.S. U-18 player pool
· Named to the West Conference US Soccer Development Academy Starting XI
· Previously captained his San Juan Soccer Club at the U-16 and U-18 levels prior to joining the Sacramento Republic academy
· Member of the Olympic Development Program from 2010-12
Simon Lekressner
Hometown: Bellevue, Wash.
School: Issaquah HS
Club: Crossfire Premier Academy
Position: Forward
· Ranked as a four-star player by TopDrawerSoccer.com and is No. 38 player on the IMG Academy Top 150
· Member of the U.S. U-19 player pool and was invited to a camp in the Canary Islands
· Team captain scored 31 goals in 29 games on the U-15/16 USSD Academy team
· Named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Youth All-American team in 2015
· Named United States Development Academy Player of the Year for the West region and was also named to the Best XI in 2014/15
Drake Callender
Hometown: Fair Oaks, Calif.
School: Cambrian International Academy
Club: San Jose Earthquakes Academy
Position: Goalkeeper
· Joined the Earthquakes Academy in 2013/14 after playing for Placer United (2012-13) and Cap FC United (2010-12)
· Part of Bella Vista HS team that went undefeated (20-0-2) and won the CIF San Joaquin Section, saving the final penalty kick in the final against Turlock as a freshman
· Helped the Earthquakes Academy team reach the final four in the 2014/15 season
· Off the field, currently holds the freshman long jump record at Bella Vista HS after leaping a distance of 21.05 feet
Javier Macias
Hometown: Santa Rosa, Calif.
School: N/A
Club: Atletico Santa Rosa
Position: Forward
· Early enrollee, began classes in January
· Attended junior college last year, but did not play soccer
· Played club soccer for Atletico Santa Rosa, opting not to play in high school
· Recruited by Club America and Morelia to join their youth teams
