The California men's soccer team opens the 2026 season on the road against Portland on Friday. The Pilots enter the season ranked No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.

MATCH INFORMATION

Portland

• Date and Time: Friday, Aug. 21, at 7 p.m. PT

• Location: Portland, OR | Merlo Field at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex

• Live Stream: ESPN+

• Live Stats: Statbroadcast

2025 Recap
Cal posted an overall record of 8-8-2 with a 2-5-1 mark in ACC play. The Bears finished 12th in the ACC during the regular season, advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament before falling to the No. 1 seed Virginia.

The two regular-season conference wins came in the ACC opener at Boston College and to close the regular season at home against No. 1 ranked Stanford, preventing the Cardinal from clinching the ACC regular-season title and snapping a 10-game win streak.

The Bears graduated leading goal scorer Luka Lukic, but return Malcom Zalayet, who ranked second in goals and points for Cal last season. Cal also retained key defensive pieces in Beau Morrison and D'Andre Pickett, with Morrison one of two players to start all 18 games for the Bears during the 2025 season.

Year 3
Cal enters year three in the Atlantic Coast Conference. In its two years in the conference, Cal has pushed all the way to the semifinals of the ACC tournament as both a No. 11 and a No. 12 seed in consecutive years.

Eyes on Flo
Senior transfer Florentino Junior was named to the ACC Preseason Watch List. The two-time NJCAA National Champion and 2024 NJCAA All-American will be a key piece for the Golden Bears entering the 2026 season.

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