This feature originally appeared in the 2023 Fall edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.
 

Wyatt Meyer has spent much of his life at Edwards Stadium.
 
Which makes sense, seeing as he was almost born there.
 
A senior on the California men's soccer team, Meyer has a big connection to the Beautiful Game through his parents. He's the son of former Cal women's soccer player and assistant coach Jennifer "J.T." Thomas and Rich Meyer – who played the sport at Lake Forest College in Illinois – and he spent countless days as a child watching his mother coach the Golden Bears.
 
He began his journey into the world while Thomas was directing the Bears with former Cal head coach Kevin Boyd against USC on Nov. 11, 2001, in Berkeley. At halftime, Thomas felt some discomfort but didn't necessarily connect it to her pregnancy with Wyatt, who was due in another three and a half weeks. After a 1-0, double-overtime win over the Trojans – former Cal All-American Laura Schott scored in the 118th minute – Thomas realized she was in labor and eventually went to the hospital. Wyatt was born that night.
 
The dedicated Thomas was back with her team in a matter of days.
 
"He was born in the middle of the night, and then I was at a playoff game four days later," Thomas said. "He stayed home for that one. We lost in the first round, so then I got to be a Mom for a while. He had some downtime before spring season."
 
Indeed, that spring Rich brought Wyatt to the field to watch his mom coach the Bears, and so began a routine that saw young Wyatt become a fixture on the sideline during Cal women's soccer practices, at the Bears' games and on the team bus.
 
"I spent a lot of time in the stands at Edwards Stadium, and that had to be one of my first memories of watching soccer," Meyer said. "My first memory of playing soccer was playing with her players after their games."
 
Meyer was a diehard fan of the Cal women, many of whom babysat for him. So ensconced was Meyer within the team that he thought that only women could play soccer. Once, after returning from a game at Santa Clara, 4-year-old Meyer spoke about how excited he was about the sport as he exited the team bus. He said to Thomas, "J.T., soccer is really fun. Do boys play?"
 
His parents signed him up to play with the Albany Berkeley Soccer Club, and Thomas - who became his club coach - coached him from ages 5 to 19. His parents had introduced Meyer to a variety of sports, including basketball and (American) football. But soccer always won out as his top sport.
 
And, yes, he called his mom "J.T." – because that's what he heard all the Cal players call her.
 
"One day she said, 'You can call me 'Mom,' too, you know? I'd like that,'" Meyer recalled. "And I said, 'OK, I'll give it a try.' Once she left Cal soccer and got into college counseling, I started calling her 'Mom' a little bit more."
 
Meyer grew up in a true soccer family, which used to talk soccer tactics at the kitchen table and still vacations at World Cups – he went to the 2016 men's World Cup in Brazil and the 2019 Women's World Cup in France.
 
When it came time to choose a college to play for, Cal was unsurprisingly one of the favorites. But – after watching and being a ball boy at so many women's and men's soccer games at Edwards – he had a change of heart early on in high school.
 
"I was like, 'I want to leave Berkeley; I've been here too long,'" Meyer said. "But then when the offer came around, I thought, I have to go. This has just been a huge part of my life."
 
With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the postponement of the 2020 season, Meyer made his debut with the Bears in the spring 2021 regular season, playing in nine games off the bench. He became a regular in the lineup in the fall of 2021, starting 14 times, tallying three goals and one assist for seven points, and earning a spot on the Pac-12 Fall Academic Honor Roll.
 
A strong, fast player who played in a variety of roles growing up, including as a striker and as a winger, the talented Meyer nevertheless excelled in the holding midfield and center back positions he played for much of Cal's 2022 season. It was a challenging year for the Bears, who went 3-8-6, but Meyer, who started 16 games and collected three assists, was named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team.
 
The English major, who's also pursuing a minor in history, was named to the Pac-12 Fall Academic Honor Roll for the second time last season.
 
"He had a very good season despite our record," said Cal men's soccer head coach Leonard Griffin, who made his own debut with the Bears last year. "He showed me what his potential is. In getting to know him as a player and a person, he's unreal. He has the mentality any coach would want, has leadership qualities any coach would want, and technical and tactical abilities to take his game to a whole other level."
 
The Bears believe he's a perfect choice for team captain.
 
"He leads by example and is vocal," defender Kevin Carmichael said. "He puts in a lot of time and work, and everyone sees it. He's respectful to everyone and gets to know everyone as much as possible to be able to teach them what they need to know."
 
His leadership showed last season. As bad results piled up, Meyer's winning attitude buoyed the Bears.
"He was always optimistic with our team, never down on us," Carmichael said. "If we lost or tied, he'd say we just have to move on to the next one."
 
"One of the things that's special about Wyatt is being a kid from Berkeley and him playing for that name on the front of the jersey more than most can," Griffin added. "Being from Berkeley, and the fact that his mom played here and coached here, he would run through a wall for the program. That speaks volumes about how he leads the team in terms of how hard he works, not just for himself but also for his teammates and the program.
 
"Wyatt will put the program before anything else. He eats, sleeps and breathes Cal soccer, and it is incredible for us to have an athlete that has that pedigree."