WASHINGTON – American University head men's soccer coach Zach Samol announced on Monday the signing of nine student-athletes to his 2022 recruiting class.
 
Cullen Connaker, Toshi Davis, Troy Elgersma, Jonah Fogel, Sebastian Garces, Cooper Nunn, Tim Schliemann, Taku Takahashi, and Matthew Tibbetts will all be joining the program this fall.
 
"We are excited to welcome this versatile and talented group," said head coach Zach Samol, who enters his fourth season at the helm of American men's soccer. "I want to thank Mike Montross and Patrick Mehlert for their work in getting this group of players here to AU. Dan Louisignau has moved on from AU, but I'd also like to thank him for his role with this recruiting class. These nine newcomers will join what we think is our most competitive team to date and we are excited for them to jump right in and add more competition to the team."
 
CULLEN CONNAKER
Position: Defender
Club: Shattuck-St. Mary's Academy
 
Connaker, originally from Plymouth, Minn., is one of two recruits from Shattuck-St. Mary's program in Farivault, Minn. The squad competes in the MLS NEXT league and made the MLS NEXT playoffs in 2021 and 2022. Prior to Shattuck, played with the Minnesota United youth academy. He has been ranked as a top 150 recruit by Topdrawersoccer.com.
 
Samol on Connaker: "Cullen is one of two players coming to us from Shattuck-St. Mary's, one of the top teams in the MLS Next league. He has the right instincts for the center back position and plays the game with the mentality we look for in a defender. He's simple, efficient on the ball and can break pressure with his entry passes."


 
TOSHI DAVIS
Position: Midfielder
Club: Bethesda SC
 
Davis continues the Bethesda Soccer Club pipeline as he joins five players (Palomo, Severe, Shirley, D. Zouantcha, and J. Zouantcha) as Bethesda SC alums on AU's roster. His Bethesda SC squad made the MLS NEXT playoffs during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. A Baltimore, Md., native, Davis led his team in assists while playing with both Bethesda SC and Baltimore Armour. Davis has also been invited to multiple US Youth National Team ID Training Centers.
 
Samol on Davis: "Toshi is a local product that we've gotten to know very well through his time playing at Bethesda SC. He's an exciting attacking player that can operate in tight spaces using his quickness and ball control. He can be tricky and elusiveness, but also has the ability to score with both feet and create goals with well-weighted passes. He will add a fun dimension to our attacking group."


 
TROY ELGERSMA
Position: Midfielder
Club: Pateadores
 
Elgersma will come to D.C. from Redlands, Calif., and Redlands High School. The 6-foot-2 midfielder was named First Team All-League as a senior. His Pateadores team made the ECNL playoffs in 2021 and won the U19 ECNL North American Cup in 2022. He also earned a spot on the ECNL U17 All- Conference Second Team and was on the U15 US Youth National Team's August roster.  
 
Samol on Elgersma: "Troy is a versatile attacking player that comes to us from a Pateadores club that consistently produces top players. He can play wide, in pockets or as a forward because his soccer brain gives him that kind of positional flexibility. He thinks and plays the game the way we teach our team to play and his movement off the ball coupled with his mentality to run in behind will create scoring chances."


 
JONAH FOGEL
Position: Defender
Club: Shattuck-St. Mary's Academy
 
Fogel, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., is one of two recruits from Shattuck-St. Mary's in Farivault, Minn. The squad competes in the MLS NEXT academy league and made the playoffs in 2021 and 2022. He served as team captain during the 2022 MLS NEXT playoffs. Prior to his time at SSM, Fogel played for Black Rock FC in New York. 
 
Samol on Fogel: "Jonah is a versatile defender, playing on both the right and left side for Shattuck-St. Mary's and captained the team for much of this past season. We saw his quality in recruiting, but he impressed us at our ID Clinic last summer with his calm and composed simple play. He's completely two-footed as he can hit top quality entry passes or crosses with both feet. He's driven and brings the right work ethic and mentality into our locker room."
 

 
SEBASTIAN GARCES
Position: Midfielder
Club: Lehigh Valley United
 
Garces will come to Washington, D.C. from Bethlehem, Pa., where he plays for Lehigh Valley United as well as Freedom High School. The 5-9 midfielder totaled 41 career goals and 53 career assists at Freedom, breaking the schools assists record during the 2021-22 season. He reached the state cup semifinals in 2021 with Lehigh Valley, and is a two-time First-Team All-EPC selection and an All-State Team selection.  
 
Samol on Garces: "Seba is a balanced soccer player that has some real pop to his game. He has the quality to get out of tight spaces and to play well in combination. He can create chances for teammates with a final ball and can score goals. He's a real athlete with a good soccer brain and we can see him being successful at a variety of positions as he develops."

 
 
COOPER NUNN
Position: Defender
Previous Institution: Monroe College
 
Nunn is originally from Adelaide, Australia. He comes to AU after spending the previous two seasons at Monroe College. While at Monroe, Nunn started all 15 games in which he appeared and served as team captain. Additionally, he was named a 2021 NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer All-America First Team member after the 2021 fall season.
 
Samol on Nunn: "We expect Cooper to bring maturity and composure to our back 4. He played at a high level in Australia and comes to us with two years of college soccer experience at Monroe. We like his defensive instincts and composure in difficult defending moments. He's comfortable on the ball and connects well from the back with quality entry passes. We're excited to add his experience into our locker room."
 
 

TIM SCHLIEMANN
Position: Midfielder
Club: Hertha Berlin
 
Schliemann will come to Washington, D.C. from Berlin, Germany where he's been a member of the Hertha Berlin youth academy for the past 7 years and was a team captain for 3 years. This season, his team won the U19 Bundesliga North Division and were finalists in the U19 German Championship. Previously, his team had also won the U17 Bundesliga North Division.
 
Samol on Schliemann: "Tim is a well-rounded, two-way midfielder. He is a good passer and ball striker that can unlock the game with his range of pass. He works and covers ground in the midfield and will start the press with good defensive steps. He comes from a top academy team that finished second overall in the U19 Bundesliga Division. We're excited to see how quickly he can transition to the demands of college soccer."


 
TAKU TAKAHASHI
Position: Defender
Club: Vegalta Sendai
 
Takahashi will travel all the way from Miyagi, Japan, to join the Eagles this fall. The left-footed defender played for Vegalta Sendai's U18 team which won the region championship. Additionally, Takahashi has been selected for the Japanese Youth National Team. He has also been named as one of the top international players to watch for the 2022 season by Topdrawersoccer.com.
 
Samol on Takahashi: "We were fortunate to see Taku at a Georgetown summer camp. Coach Montross worked with him, built a rapport with him and knew he would be someone we would love to have at AU. He has a high-level left foot with the ability to play all sorts of different passes and add quality to our set pieces. He's driven to be a top player so we are excited to add his mentality into our group."


 
MATTHEW TIBBETTS
Position: Goalkeeper
Club: New England Revolution Academy
 
Hailing from Westborough, Mass., Tibbetts is a 6-foot-2 goalkeeper. His team, New England Revolution Academy, won the MLS NEXT U-19 Championship in 2022. As part of the New England Revolution Academy program, he has trained with the Revolution's second team on a daily basis. Additionally, he has earned multiple invites to regional US Youth National Team ID clinics.  
 
Samol on Tibbetts: "Matt's an experienced, quality goalkeeper coming from a top New England Revolution team. He's steady in the goal and has good positioning and a calm demeanor. He's a good shot stopper and good with the ball at his feet. He's mature for his age and a great teammate who can make plays in the goal. We're excited to add him to our goalkeeper group."