“It is so important that we make acquisitions that provide strength as well as depth to our roster,” stated Brigade Head Coach Jay Gore. “The signings of Solorzano and Licciardi definitely provide us with these much needed attributes,” added Gore. Solorzano is a Bakersfield native that played with the Brigade last season. He is coming off his freshman year at Fresno Pacific University this fall, where he played in all 17 of the team’s matches. Johnathon was also voted the Bakersfield Californian’s All-Area Player of the Year for his senior season performance at North Bakersfield High School in 2005.

“Licciardi should be a strong candidate for the Goalkeeper position this year,” stated Gore. “His experience will be extremely valuable to the team,” added Gore. Licciardi played with the Brigade last season and helped the team to 4 wins out of their final 5 games. Licciardi recently finished his junior season at Grand Canyon University, where he held a 1.30 goals against average.

“We are very excited to have Solorzano and Licciardi back on our squad this season,” stated Brigade General Manager Joe Jimenez. “We are playing at a very high level of soccer and these guys want to be part of it,” added Jimenez.

The Brigade is a PDL soccer team, playing within the United Soccer Leagues’ PDL Southwestern Conference which is made up of nine teams throughout California.