May 1, 2009

UCLA men's soccer head coach Jorge Salcedo is bringing in the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation, as ranked by Soccer America. The Bruins lead three Pac-10 teams who are ranked in the Top 5.

The Bruins' 2009 incoming freshman class is led by U.S. Under-20 National Team player Amobi Okugo (Sacramento, CA/Rio Americano HS/San Juan Lightning), who was the only high school senior on the U-20 team during CONCACAF qualifying in March. Okugo joined future UCLA teammate Brian Perk on the U-20s, helping the U.S. secure a berth in the 2009 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, which will take place in Egypt Sept. 24-Oct. 16.

Also joining the Bruins for the 2009 season are midfielder/forward Dakota Collins (Temecula, CA/Great Oak HS/United FC), forward Chandler Hoffman (Birmingham, AL/Oak Mountain HS/Birmingham United), midfielder Ryan Hollingshead (Granite Bay, CA/Granite Bay HS), defender/midfielder Cesar Morales (St. Charles, IL/St. Charles East HS/Sockers FC), defender Matthew Norton (Poway, CA/Poway HS/La Jolla Nomads), midfielder Evan Raynr (Calabasas, CA/Viewpoint HS/Real SoCal) and midfielder Michael Roman (Oxnard, CA/Rio Mesa HS/Real SoCal).

Two other Pac-10 teams were ranked in the Top 5 - No. 4 Stanford and No. 5 California. Akron secured the No. 1 ranking after signing five U.S. U-17 National Team players.

Soccer America Top 15 Men's Recruiting Classes
1. Akron
2. Maryland
3. UCLA
4. Stanford
5. California
6. North Carolina
7. Michigan
8. Virginia
9. Notre Dame
10. Saint Louis
11. UC Santa Barbara
12. West Virginia
13. Santa Clara
14. Georgetown
15. Indiana