UCLA Signs Four Players To National Letters Of Intent
Feb. 7, 2011
UCLA men's soccer head coach Jorge Salcedo has signed four standout youth players to join a loaded 2011 roster that features every returning starter from last season's NCAA quarterfinalist squad. Signing national letters of intent were forward Reed McKenna (San Diego, CA/Rancho Bernardo HS), goalkeeper Alex Padilla (Compton, CA/California Academy of Mathematics & Science), midfielder/defender Nati Schnitman (Calabasas, CA/Calabasas HS) and goalkeeper Jake Tenzer (Pacific Palisades, CA/Crossroads).
McKenna is currently ranked No. 41 in Top Drawer Soccer's National Player Ratings and No. 2 in Southern California. He was a member of the SuperElite Team in 2010 and was selected to the 2009 US Development Academy Western Region Starting IX. McKenna, who was selected by ESPN Rise Magazine to its Western Region Starting XI, has scored 13 goals and five assists so far this season at Rancho Bernardo HS and 10 goals through 15 matches with the San Diego Surf Academy.
Padilla plays with the LA Galaxy Youth Academy and has been part of the U.S. Soccer Youth Development Academy since 2009. He played with the Galaxy Academy at the 2010 MLS U-17 SUM Cup. At California Academy of Mathematics & Science, he twice earned first-team all-league honors and led his team in scoring as a sophomore and junior. He also earned all-league honors in volleyball as a junior.
Schnitman also plays with the LA Galaxy Youth Academy and was team captain for the U-16 squad in 2009-10. A Top Drawer Soccer Top 20-ranked player in Southern California, Schnitman was on the Development Academy Select team at the 2009 Winter Academy Showcase and was a member of the U-14 National Team pool from 2006-07. In 2008, he was MVP of the U.S. Maccabi Games, leading the Los Angeles Maccabi Team to the gold medal.
Tenzer won the adidas Golden Glove at 2010 US Youth Soccer ODP Championships as the goalkeeper for Cal-South, which advanced to the championship game. Tenzer, who plays club soccer with the Central California Blues, also led his ODP team to the Region IV title that year. At Crossroads School, he earned first-team all-league honors a year ago and currently holds a goals against average of 0.78.
"Our 2011 class is a relatively small class because of the fact that we only lose two players from our 2010 team," said Salcedo."This, coupled with every starter from last year's team returning for the upcoming season, made our needs very specific for the class we just signed.
"The two goalkeepers, Alex and Jake, will bring a exemplary mentality to our team. They will be challenged on a daily basis by Brian Rowe and Earl Edwards. Nati is a player who is athletic and determined to succeed. He can play in a few different positions and will bring depth to our roster. Reed is a very dynamic player and has great abilities in front of goal. He has his sights set on being a top player in our program, and we are sure he will achieve his goals."