SACRAMENTO, Calif.-- The men's soccer team announced the signing of

defender Marcos Mercado on Wednesday. Mercado will enroll at

Sacramento State as a freshman in the fall.

After graduating from Jesuit High School in 2000, Mercado took a year

off to compete with the U-19 Cal-North State Cup

Champion River City Rush club team and helped lead them to the

Western Regional Finals.

Mercado also traveled on Hornet head coach Michael Linenberger's

Region IV Olympic Development Program team that toured Costa Rica in

January of 2001.

Linenberger foresees Mercado making an immediate impact with the team

and possibly becoming a starter.

"Marcos has the maturity of playing with and against older player's

(22-35 year's old)", he said. "He is also a very solid defender who

can play on the left or right side of the field."

Mercado joins Patrick Nelle, a forward from Rio Americana, as the

Hornets' first two signees of the year.