Feb. 24, 2010
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - University of Michigan men's soccer head coach Steve Burns announced today (Feb. 24) the commitment of five student-athletes for the 2010 season. The class boasts players with United States Youth National Team experience, all-state honors and MHSAA Dream Team selections.
U-M received National Letters of Intent from Adam Grinwis, a goalkeeper from Grand Rapids, Mich.; Dylan Mencia, a midfielder from Honesdale, Pa.; Malcolm Miller, a forward from Lawrenceville, Ga.; Fabio Pereira, a midfielder from Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Soony Saad, a forward from Dearborn, Mich., for the 2010 season. In addition, Ezekiel Harris, a forward from Flint, Mich., will join the Wolverines.
"This class of players has the potential to have a big impact on our team, especially on the offensive side of the ball next season, "said Burns. "With the excitement of our new stadium opening in August, this class will inject a tremendous amount of speed, soccer intelligence, and character into a very strong and focused returning group of players. "
A four-year starting goalkeeper at Forest Hills High School, Grinwis set the MHSAA all-time shutout record with 53 over his career. He was a four-year all-conference and all-district selection and earned state high school Dream Team honors. In addition, he was a three-time all-state selection, earning first-team honors as a senior. Grinwis was a member of the Michigan Olympic Development Program and earned a U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship with the Michigan Wolves where he was awarded the Adidas Golden Glove Award after leading the Wolves to a 1-0 shutout of Cal-Odessey. Additionally, Grinwis was a two-time participant in the Adidas Elite Soccer program. Capping his outstanding prep career, Grinwis was named to the NSCAA/adidas All-Central Region squad.
"One of the hardest things about being a good keeper is being able to dominate in your box, and Adam can certainly do that," said Burns. "He's a great natural shot stopper, a tremendous athlete, and his decision making is very strong.Our goalkeeper coach, Chris Grassie, thinks Adam makes the best 'exits' of any youth keeper in the nation. Adam dominated between the pipes at our Elite Recruiting Camp, and we expect he'll do the same for Michigan."
Mencia joins the Wolverines after earning four letters at Scranton Prep in Scranton, Pa.. In addition, he also spent three years as a member of the U.S. Youth National Team. As a sophomore, Mencia led his prep squad to district finals and was named U-16 New York Red Bull Player of the Year. Mencia was a two-time Times-Tribune all-region selection and was featured by Soccer America and TopDrawerSoccer.com for his dedication to the game. Mencia led the league in points and goals for three consecutive seasons.
"Dylan is a very versatile midfielder that can play out wide, in the hole, or in an attacking role," said Burns."He has excellent vision, goes forward well and looks to find his shots. Dylan is a strong character player that knows how to win and is thirsty for more success.His calmness in difficult moments will be a real asset to our team."
Miller, a four-year letterman at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Ga., earned all-county and all-region honors in helping lead his team to the 2009 Georgia Class AAAA state crown. Miller tallied eight of Collin Hill's nine postseason goals in its run to the championship. For the season, he tallied 15 goals and six assists en route to being named Best Offensive Player by his team. As a freshman, Miller led his team to the first round of the state playoffs. Miller was named to the Disney Soccer Showcase All-Star team as one of the elite youth soccer players in the country. Miller played his club soccer with the Concord Fire. He was a standout track athlete, placing seventh in the state finals in the 400 meters.
"Malcolm has the knack that the great attacking players have of being able to hang on the line of the defense and break at the right time," said Burns. "He'll add another dimension to our team with his incredible pace and ability to penetrate from up front or out wide.Malcolm is a very driven young man that brings with him a maturity beyond his years. We think he can make the transition to the college game with relative ease and be an impactful player in his first season."
Harris was a three-year letterwinner at Carman-Ainsworth High School in Flint, Mich. A two-time All-Big Nine conference first team selection, Harris also earned all-state honorable mention and third team honors during his prep career. Harris tallied 49 goals and 20 assists throughout his prep career, while earning all-district honors three times. As a senior, he was named as one of the Top 10 Flint area soccer players and earned a spot on the Carman-Ainsworth Wall of Fame. Harris played his club soccer with Vardar Soccer Club.
"A gifted athlete with explosive acceleration, Zeke has a huge heart and a burning desire to win for Michigan," said Burns. "Once he learns to play at this level and deal with the athleticism of the Big Ten, he has the traits and potential to decide games. He really impressed us at our Elite Recruiting Camp and has a bright future ahead of him."
Pereira, a Sao Paulo, Brazil, native, arrives at Michigan by way of South Kent School in South Kent, Conn., where he spent the past two seasons. At South Kent, Pereira was a two-time all-state selection and was two-time state all-star selection. Pereira tallied 25 goals and 21 assists and as a senior earned Most Valuable Player honors.
"Fabio is a tremendous soccer player from the country that perfected the game," said Burns. "He is the type of midfielder that we will eventually build our team around because of his ability to pick out forward runs, provide service, and dictate the tempo of the game. We discovered him at our Elite Recruiting Camp last year where he stood out on every level. It's easy to get excited about Fabio because he is a special player with a role player's attitude."
Saad, a native of Dearborn, Mich., has extensive U.S. Youth National Team experience, after spending time with the U.S. Soccer U-17 Residency Program where he earned a call-up to the U-17 national team. He was the 2008 U.S. Soccer Development Academy U-16 Player of the Year during his time with the Vardar Soccer club. Saad was named Michigan's Mr. Soccer as a senior after finishing his senior campaign in record-setting fashion. He set the single-season state record for goals with 76 and the state career goals record with 172 tallies. For his prep efforts, Saad was named a 2009 NSCAA/adidas All-American. Saad led the Michigan Wolves to the 2007 U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship and was awarded the Golden Boot Award for Most Outstanding Player.
"Soony is a flat out goal-scorer that is incredibly passionate about the game," said Burns" We've seen him score some outrageous goals from long range in addition to being that mythical 'fox in the box'; a predatory goal-scorer that puts away his half chances. We expect he'll form good relationships with our other strikers and add an immediate impact to our team. Soony has a bright soccer future ahead of him both at Michigan and as a professional."
This class will be the first class to play in U-M's state-of-the-art soccer specific stadium. The stadium is on track to be one of the elite college soccer stadiums in the country. It is set to be completed in time for the opening kick of the 2010 soccer season. The Wolverines graduated four seniors from the 2009 squad that posted a 10-7-3 record.
Contact: Jessica Poole (734) 763-4423
