Juan Cervantes Promoted to Assistant Coach
July 28, 2023 | Men's Soccer
LOS ANGELES – UCLA men's soccer head coach Ryan Jorden announced on Friday that Juan Cervantes, who has served as a volunteer assistant coach with the program for the last three seasons, has been promoted to a full-time assistant coach.
A former UCLA men's soccer student-athlete himself, Cervantes has helped the Bruins to a 23-14-2 record and a pair of NCAA Tournament berths over the last two seasons.
"We're very excited as a program to elevate Juan to a full-time assistant position," said Jorden. "He's been an integral part of UCLA men's soccer as a player and coach for over a decade, so he understands the legacy of the program yet also embodies the values and culture we want to instill going forward."
A former goalkeeper at UCLA, Cervantes's work with the team's keepers has been a crucial part of the team's success over the last two seasons.
UCLA went 11-7-1 and returned to the NCAA Tournament in the 2021 season, representing the largest year-to-year improvement (eight wins) in program history. Then-senior Justin Garces had a career year under the tutelage of Cervantes, setting single-season career highs across the board while earning All-Pac-12 honors before signing a Homegrown Deal with Atlanta United FC.
The Bruins were even better in 2022, going 12-7-1 and reaching the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. UCLA at one point held its opponents to one goal or fewer in 10 consecutive games, the program's longest streak since 2005. Starting keeper Nate Crockford paced the Pac-12 Conference in both save percentage (.768) and shutouts (eight).
Cervantes initially re-joined the program ahead of the 2020-21 season, helping the team navigate the COVID-19-shortened campaign.
Previous to his time at UCLA, the Gardena, Calif. native made coaching stops at Cal State Dominguez Hills, Santa Monica College, Loyola High School, Santa Monica High School, and Beach Futbol Club.
A four-year letterwinner at UCLA, Cervantes started 27 games during his Bruin career from 2012-15. He made four starts for UCLA's Pac-12 Champion squad in 2012, and he started for the Bruins' 2015 team which reached the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.
Stay tuned to @UCLAMSoccer on Twitter and Instragram for all team updates.
