University of Northwestern Ohio Trio Join Brilla

Mississippi Brilla FC has added three players from the University of Northwestern Ohio to its Premier Development League squad. The trio led their team to a 17-5-2 record in route to the NAIA semi-finals.

Carlos Garces, a sophomore midfielder from Cali, Columbia, earned 2nd Team NAIA All-American honors while tallying 8 goals and 10 assists. He was also named to the NSCAA All-Mideast Region Team.

"Carlos is a player who will be able to do the simple things at a very high level,” said Brilla Head Coach Mark McKeever. "He has great technical ability and awareness and I feel that he can add a great deal of creativity to the middle of the park.”

Joining Garces on the All-Region Team is teammate Michael Gonzalo. The sophomore defender from Bristol, England played a key role in the Racers notching 9 shutouts on the season. Gonzalo was also named NAIA All-American Honorable Mention.

"Michael is a no nonsense defender who will be able to break opponents down,” said McKeever. "Michael’s distribution is a very high quality and we need this to be able to play from the back. I expect he will cause many teams problems with his high intensity to win balls, not to mention his desire to attack the ball at set pieces.”

Rounding out the group from Ohio is Spanish midfielder Sergio Royo. The junior from Madrid led the Racers with 16 goals and tied Suarez for the team lead in assists with 10. He was named to the All-Mideast Region 2nd Team.

McKeever added, "Sergio brings tremendous flair and creativity to the team. He is very versatile and will be able to play a number of positions in our attacking line up. I expect that many of our goals could involve Sergio playing a major role.”

Mississippi Brilla FC begins play in May. Home games are played at Clinton High School’s Arrow Field. Buy tickets here.