Monterey Bay Football Club (Monterey Bay F.C.) announced today that the club has signed local midfielder and California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) graduate Adrian Rebollar in advance of its inaugural USL Championship campaign, pending league and federation approval.
After spending time in the Santa Cruz Breakers Academy, Rebollar joined CSUMB in 2017 and started 60 matches in 63 total appearances across his four seasons at the university. After recording three goals in three straight seasons, Rebollar scored a career-high seven goals in 1,394 minutes in 2021. His career-high for assists in a season came in 2019 when he tallied eight, the third best season mark in school history. He recorded 16 goals and 14 assists in his collegiate career overall, including seven game-winning goals.
“We are all so proud and happy for Adrian. His preparation and hard work put him in position to have a chance as a trialist and we knew he would take full advantage of that chance,” said CSUMB Athletics Director Kirby Garry. “It is special for him to earn the opportunity to begin his professional career right here on the same campus where he developed as a four-year student-athlete in our soccer program. He is a brilliant example of how our athletic department connects to the university’s vision and mission of serving the success of our students and preparing them to pursue their professional dreams while graduating with a meaningful degree.”
A four-time All-California Collegiate Athletic Association honoree, Rebollar finished his collegiate career third in school history in shots (123), fifth in points (46), fifth in career assists (14) and 7th all-time in goals (16), including a score in his first-ever collegiate game against Notre Dame de Namur in 2017.
“The staff are extremely delighted for Adrian. It was no surprise to be fair, as Adrian has been living like a professional for the last few years in the way he conducts himself on and off the field,” explained CSUMB Head Men’s Soccer Coach Graeme Jaap. “It is a testament to his hard work and incredible drive that he has signed and I have no doubt that he can go on and have a successful professional soccer career. We are especially happy that he gets to continue his career close to home, as he has an incredibly supportive family who will be excited to continue to watch him play. There is no better place for him to keep improving than under Frank Yallop and Ramiro Corrales who have tremendous experience with professional soccer here in the U.S.”
The 22-year-old trained with Monterey Bay F.C. throughout the offseason and into camp. And after an impressive preseason for the midfielder, Rebollar now signs his first professional contract with the Union.
“Adrian is an exciting young local player from Watsonville who came up from the CSUMB system,” explained Monterey Bay F.C. Sporting Director and Head Coach Frank Yallop. “He made it through preseason on a trial and earned his contract. We’re happy to have him.”
Rebollar is now the second Monterey Bay F.C. player to come from CSUMB, joining the club’s first-ever signing, Walmer Martínez, on the squad. But playing together at CSUMB is far from the full extent of the Union teammates’ story.
“I’ve grown up with Adrian. We played for the same academy, went to the same university and now we’re going to be playing on the same team professionally,” said Martínez. “I’m super happy because if there’s a player that deserves it more than anyone it’s him. He works really hard, he’s determined to get better and he deserves this chance that he’s getting. I’m so happy to play alongside him and be a role model to him. Whenever he needs advice he comes to me and I tell him the truth. He is always willing and eager to learn so it’s going to be great to play alongside him.”
Rebollar reflected on the pair’s history as well. “Looking back on my friendship with Walmer, it’s actually really crazy. I’ve played with him since I was 14. Our friendship really developed when we were in college because we were a bit older, we both had goals to play at the next level and we could really relate to each other since we are from the area. I love being around him, he’s a great person on and off the field.”
Rebollar continued, “but this should be a bit of a wake up call for everybody. There’s a lot of talent here in the 831 area and especially at CSUMB. Walmer and I are now here with Monterey Bay F.C., and we have another teammate who went on to play USL League One. I think CSUMB has been a little underrated, but it should definitely be a program to pay attention to in the coming years.”
With the signing now official, Rebollar joins the squad ahead of the club’s inaugural USL Championship match against Phoenix Rising FC in Chandler, Arizona on Saturday. And when asked about his excitement for the match, the Watsonville local credited his family’s sacrifices and support for being where he is today.
“My parents, my number one supporters, are always working. That is something I’ve learned from them,” shared Rebollar. “When I was young they used to work out in the agricultural fields. They spent so much time working to make sure that we had money for rent, food and everything so that my sister and I had the opportunity to go to school and do sports. For me, that was always soccer.”
“This is a dream come true, honestly,” continued Rebollar. “From growing up in Watsonville to playing out in Santa Cruz with the Breakers academy to playing at CSUMB. My dream was to play professionally, and now that I get to do that here in my own backyard, I am so happy.”
Player Information:
Name: Adrian Rebollar
Position: Midfielder
Age: 22
Height: 5’6”
Weight: 141
Hometown: Watsonville, California
Monterey Bay F.C. roster as of March 11, 2022:
Goalkeepers:
Dallas Jaye (Danville, California)
Rafael Díaz (Paterson, New Jersey)
Defenders:
Morey Doner (Collingwood, Ontario)
Hugh Roberts (Olney, Maryland)
Grant Robinson (Columbia, Maryland)
Kai Greene (Jersey City, New Jersey)
Sam Strong (Santa Barbara, California)
Midfielders:
James Murphy (Scotch Plains, New Jersey)
Arun Basuljevic (Bronx, New York)
Mobi Fehr (New York, New York)
Sam Gleadle (Chichester, England)
Jiro Barriga Toyama (Chiba, Japan)
Adrian Rebollar (Watsonville, California)
Forwards:
Walmer Martínez (Santa Cruz, California)
Chase Boone (Beaverton, Oregon)
Seku Conneh (Voinjama, Liberia)
Christian Volesky (Henderson, Nevada)
Christopher Cortez (Mission Viejo, California)
Jesse Maldonado (Chandler, Arizona)
