LOS ANGELES – UCLA men’s soccer head coach Ryan Jorden on Friday officially announced the program’s newest recruiting class, a group of five players from the academy ranks which will join the team for the 2023-24 school year.
UCLA’s incoming group has been tabbed No. 2 nationally in TopDrawerSoccer’s most-recent college recruit class rankings. It marks the second top-five class for the program in the last three seasons.
By position, the incoming group features one forward, one winger, one midfielder, one defender, and one goalkeeper.
“In this class, we have added five players that can have an impact in every line of our team,” said Jorden. “Each of these players have top individual football qualities, and are also fantastic personalities and people. We are very excited to add them to our teamroom.”
The 2023 UCLA men’s soccer recruiting class consists of forward Jacob Diaz (LAFC Academy), midfielder Bryan Moyado (LAFC Academy), goalkeeper Wyatt Nelson (Seattle Sounders Academy), defender Mateo Pinilla (Houston Dynamo Academy), and winger Sam Scott (Solar SC Academy)
Below are capsules on all five of the incoming Bruins, featuring bios of their amateur soccer careers as well as a short scouting report from Coach Jorden.
Jacob Diaz – Forward – Torrance, Calif. – LAFC Academy (South Torrance HS)
Bio: Played club soccer in the LAFC Academy … Was the club’s top scorer at the U17 level during the 2021-22 season … Played in the 2022 MLS Next Cup playoffs.
Jorden’s Scouting Report: “‘Jacob works hard on both sides of the ball and his goal-scoring instincts, left-footedness, and ability to play in all three front positions are assets that will translate to college soccer. He has very good athletic qualities, has consistently played in top games, and his team has been one of the very best in MLS Next the past two years.”
Bryan Moyado – Midfielder – La Puente, Calif. – LAFC Academy (Bassett HS)
Bio: Central midfielder for the LAFC Academy … Top-ranked player from his class in the Southern California region … Nationally, is the No. 13-ranked midfielder and No. 28 player overall in the IMG Academy 150 … Has received multiple call-ups to the United States Youth National Team camps, at both the U17 and U19 levels … Was named MVP of the MLS Next league for the 2021-22 season … Invited to…
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