IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine's men's soccer program unveils its list of 10 incoming Anteaters widely regarded as the top 2019 recruiting class in Division I men's soccer.
 

Student-Athlete	Ht / Wt	Pos.	Hometown	School	Academy	Ranking
Mario Anaya	5-11 / 175	Midfielder	Livermore	Livermore HS	San Jose Earthquakes Academy / U.S. u16 YNT pool	No. 68 national / No. 4 regional
Diego Aragon	6-0 / 160	Def. / Mid.	La Verne	Bonita HS	FC Golden State Academy
Edward Berumen	5-8 / 145	Def. / Mid.	Salida	Hart Ransom Academic Charter	Sac Republic FC Academy / U.S. u18 YNT pool	No. 104 national / No. 8 regional
Kwabena Boateng	6-2 / 165	Defender	Elk Grove	Franklin HS	Sac Republic FC Academy / U.S. u18 YNT pool	No. 35 national / No. 1 regional
Oscar Cervantes	5-7 / 142	Midfielder	Indio	Capistrano Connections	L.A. Galaxy Academy / U.S. u18 YNT pool	No. 136 national / No. 14 regional
Rafael Espinoza	5-10 / 160	Forward	Costa Mesa	Monte Vista HS	Orange County SC / Pateadores Academy
Jorge Hernandez	5-7 / 150	Midfielder	Riverside	Capistrano Connections	L.A. Galaxy Academy / LA Galaxy II	No. 11 national / No. 3 regional
Ricardo Ibarra	5-5 / 130	Defender	San Jose	Bellarmine Prep HS	San Jose Earthquakes Academy
Roberto Molina	5-8 / 143	Midfielder	Valley Village	ASU Prep Academy	Barca Academy	No. 17 regional
Eder Oliva	5-8 / 150	Mid. / Fwd.	San Juan Capistrano	Irvine Valley College / Tesoro HS	Pateadores Academy

"We're extremely excited about the upcoming class," praised second-year head coach Yossi Raz. "We feel that they are coming with a lot of experience at the highest level of academy soccer in the country. They're coming from excellent academies where they've been taught well about the game."

The sterling list of new Anteaters hails from up-and-down the California coast with multiple MLS academies represented from LA Galaxy to San Jose Earthquakes even including USL sides Sac Republic FC and Orange County SC.

"They are bringing with them a variety of tools to UC Irvine from athleticism to technical and tactical ability from different positions on the field. A lot of them were part and are still a part of the U.S. National Team pool providing international experiences."

Top Drawer Soccer, a site dedicated to its extensive coverage of college and high school-aged soccer, released its men's soccer recruiting rankings with coach Raz's UC Irvine bunch at the very top ahead of programs such as Stanford, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Indiana, and UCLA. Of the 10 'Eaters, six are rated among the best players in their region, and five are among the top 150 players ranked nationally powered by the IMG Academy.

"As a staff and a team we are very excited to get them here, wearing our uniform, working with them, and getting them up to speed with the UC Irvine method that can showcase their individual talents."