BERKELEY – The California men's soccer program has signed its 2009
recruits and added two other newcomers, Golden Bears head coach Kevin
Grimes announced today. Midfielders Steve Birnbaum, Jeff Cosgriff Riley
Kovatch, Anthony Salciccia, Chris Ortega, goalkeeper Nick Shackelford and
forwards John Fitzpatrick and Kyle Marsh will make their debut next fall.
Birnbaum has already enrolled for this semester at Cal, and Cosgriff is a
transfer from Santa Clara. Grimes' signees all hail from the state of
California.

Cosgriff will join the Bears as a senior in 2009, after playing in 64
matches through three seasons as a Bronco. He has nine career goals, three
of which were game-winning goals, and a total of 20 points overall. He was
an All-West Coast Conference honorable-mention selection in 2008 and made
the WCC All-Freshman team in 2006. His three goals in 2008 tied for the
team best. Cosgriff also finished second on the squad in points with
eight.

Birnbaum has competed for the U.S. U-18 and U.S. U-20 National team squads
in tournaments in Portugal and Mexico in 2008. He was a finalist in the
2008 Milk Cup last year, facing Manchester United in the final. He was
also named to the Southern California Starting XI for the USSF Development
Academy. For nine years, he was the captain of the premier team for the
Irvine Strikers and Pateadores. Birnbaum was also a member of the Cal
South ODP team in 2007.

Currently a member of Marin FC, Kovatch was a member of the champion U-19
club that won the Surf Cup last summer, and was a semifinalist in the fall
Surf Cup. He was also a part of the 2007 Las Vegas Coaches Showcase
championship team. As a member of Santa Rosa United, Kovatch’s team won
the California Cup four times (2001, 2002, 2004, 2006).

Salciccia was a member of the U.S. U-18 National team in 2008 and 2009. He
was also an NSCCA All-American, and selected to the adidas ESP camp in
2007. He was also named one of Soccer America’s Top 100 Players. Currently
a member of the Deanza Force Academy, Salciccia played with the Cal North
State team from 2004-08, including trips to Costa Rica in 2006, Argentina
in 2007 and Italy in 2008. Salciccia is the all-time leading scorer for
his Prospect High School club.

Ortega currently plays for Arsenal FC. Like Salciccia and Birnbaum, Ortega
was invited into the U.S. U-18 National team in 2008 and 2009. Along with
Salciccia, he was part of the adidas ESP camp in 2007. He was also a
member of, and was part of the Cal-South ODP team from 2005-07. Ortega
played for the 2002 Cal-South state championship squad and was a Far West
regional finalist in that same year. Ortega is an Honor Roll student at
Eastlake High School in Chula Vista, Calif.

Shackelford was a teammate of Birnbaum on the Irvine Strikers and
Pateadores. He started for the U-18 Pateadores club in the inaugural
season of the U.S. Soccer Academy League. He previously had been named the
Freshman League MVP while playing for his Villa Park High School club. His
club team was the U.S. Club regional champions in 2006 and were a national
finalist in 2007. Shackelford was a Cal South ODP player for three seasons
and a member of the 2007 championship squad.

Marsh, like Kovatch, has been a member of the Marin FC and Santa Rosa
United club teams. He was also a member of the Region IV ODP team. He and
Kovatch were teammates on the 2007 championship team in the Las Vegas
Coaches Showcase, and on the Santa Rosa United team that won the
California Cup four times (2001, 2002, 2004, 2006). Marsh was a
back-to-back finalist in the CYSA Nor Cal State Cup (2005, 2006). He was
also a finalist in the 2006 Las Vegas Premier Cup.

A member of the San Diego Surf Soccer Club for eight years, Fitzpatrick
played on the U-18 Surf Academy team the last two years, and was on the
2007 state championship team. He was invited to a U.S. U-18 National team
camp in 2008. He played with Birnbaum in the 2008 Milk Cup, reaching the
finals against Manchester United. Fitzpatrick also played for the
Cal-South and Region IV ODP teams, and won the Golden Boot Award at the
2007 ODP national championships.