SAN DIEGO – Head coach Lev Kirshner and his staff are excited to announce the signing of eight players to National Letters of Intent. The Aztecs' 2020 recruiting class is ranked No. 8 in the nation by Top Drawer Soccer and includes five players ranked in the top 150.
"We are excited to follow up our last two highly-rated classes with this top ten ranked class," Kirshner said. "Credit to [Associate Head Coach] Josh Hill and my staff who have done a wonderful job bringing in quality soccer players on a consistent basis. More importantly, we look forward to working with this group, testing their mentality, and seeing how good they actually are… as rankings aren't a direct measure of success."
This is the third straight year SDSU has had a nationally ranked recruiting class and the second consecutive year they are ranked in the top ten according to Top Drawer Soccer.
For the second straight year, Coach Kirshner and his staff have lured in numerous of the top recruits in California. The 2020 class features six players from California, including five from Southern California, while all eight newcomers on the 2019 roster were Californians.
MEET THE NEW AZTECS
Calvan Berteau – Midfielder – 6'0" – 165 lbs. – Eugene Timbers FC – Bend Ore.
A 2019 graduate, who took a gap year and currently starting for San Diego's Development Academy Nomads, Berteau was the 5A Conference Player of the Year and the runner-up for the 5A Gatorade Oregon State Player of the Year in the 2017-18 season at Bend High School … Berteau helped his school win the Central Oregon Conference championship… He tallied 15 goals and 12 assists in 12 games in his senior season at Bend High School… Playing for the Eugene Timbers, he combined to score 36 goals and dish out 17 assists over two seasons.
Aiden Hanes – Goalkeeper – 6'0" – 185 lbs. – LA Galaxy Academy – Riverside, Calif.
A three-star recruit that has been called into the U.S. U17 National Team camp, Hanes is ranked No. 16 in the Southern California region according to Top Drawer Soccer… He plays for the LA Galaxy Academy after spending a couple years playing for the Arsenal FC youth program, where he made 30 starts in the 2016-17 season… A proven winner, he has helped his clubs win the National Cup, the Surf Cup, the United Cup and the Pats Cup.
John Foltyn – Forward – 5'7" – 135 lbs. – Portland Timbers Academy – San Diego, Calif.
A local product living just miles from San Diego State's campus, Foltyn is a three-star recruit who is ranked No. 146 overall and No. 15 in the Pacific Northwest region by Top Drawer Soccer… Last season he scored nine goals in 22 matches for the Portland Timbers U16/17 team after being the leading goal getter with the San Diego Surf the year prior.
Bryson Hankins – Defender – 5'8" – 160 lbs. – Seattle Sounders Academy – Bakersfield, Calif.
A three-star recruit who plays for the Seattle Sounders Academy, Hankins has been invited to several U.S. National team camps and recently debuted with the Tacoma Defiance of the USL League One… He helped the Sounders win the Generation adidas Cup Division championship in both 2018 and 2019 as well as the 2018 USSDA national championship… Hankins was named to the Generation adidas Cup Champions Division Best XI Team.
Elias Katsaros – Defender – 6'0" – 175 lbs. – Seattle Sounders Academy – Federal Way, Wash.
One of the top college-bound defenders in his class, Katsaros is a three-star recruit who is ranked No. 90 overall and No. 12 in the Pacific Northwest region according to Top Drawer Soccer… Playing with Bryson Hankins, he helped the Seattle Sounders win the 2018 USSDA national championship… Katsaros was a Generation adidas Cup Champions Division Best XI Team honorable mention selection… In 2016, he earned invitations to the U.S. Soccer Training Center, the Generation adidas ESP Event and to the U.S. National Team Camp.
Jordan Korbus – Midfielder – 5'10" – 150 lbs. – San Jose Earthquakes Academy – San Jose, Calif.
A three-star recruit, who is ranked No. 128 in the nation and No. 6 for the Northern California/Hawai'i region… He scored 21 goals in the 2016-17 season for the San Jose Earthquakes squad… Served as team captain for the Earthquakes U16/17 team last year… Korbus played in the last two Generation adidas Cups with the Earthquakes… Was on the ODP Regional Team and part of the National Training Center Program.
Andre Ochoa – Midfielder – 5'7" – 135 lbs. – LA Galaxy Academy – Anaheim, Calif.
A three-star recruit, who is ranked No. 147 in the nation and No. 14 for the Southern California region… He has played for the LA Galaxy Academy the last two seasons and scored in last year's national semi-final… In 2017, he scored 12 goals in 19 matches for the Strikers FC before joining the Galaxy program.
Kevin Peraza – Defender – 6'0" – 155 lbs. – FC Golden State – Montebello, Calif.
A 2019 graduate who took a gap year, Peraza is a three-star recruit who played at the IMG Academy in Florida… He helped his team win the National Cup, the Surf Cup, the United Cup and the Pats Cup… Peraza played for the U.S. National U16 team with current Aztecs Abraham Gonzalez and Victor Rangel.