CHICAGO - The UIC men's soccer team kicked off preseason training last week with some new faces on the field. A total of eight newcomers have joined the Flames this season and will aid in UIC's quest for the 2015 Horizon League Championship. The team opens exhibition play on Tuesday against IUPUI at 5 p.m. CT at Flames Field.

Jaime Alonso, Nestor Garcia, Oscar Gonzalez, Mike Jimenez, Jack Monson, Grant Sicard, Max Todd and Jaime Zaragoza make up the freshmen class that is joined by fellow newcomer and NJCAA All-American Oscar Rivero, who was added to the Flames' roster in January.

"As a group, these new players have brought talent and character into this year's team," head coach Sean Phillips said. "Their true impact on the program will of course be measured over their four years of competition on the field and work in the classroom. Over the first few days of preseason, they have proven that they belong."

The newcomers round out UIC's roster of 26 which brings back eight starters and 17 total letterwinners. Three of the four Flames to earn postseason honors last season are back as Thomas Villamil placed on the All-Horizon League First Team, Jorge Alvarez joined the Second Team and Jose Fuentes garnered a spot on the All-Freshman Team.

"Training thus far has had a good energy and standard. The new players are picking up the concepts rather quickly and finding their way into the team."

With less than a week of training in the books, the Flames will be put to the test for the first time as they face IUPUI in exhibition play Tuesday night. The last time the two teams faced was during the 2012 regular season, when the match ended in a 2-2 draw after double overtime.

The Jaguars went 5-8-3 last season and 2-3-1 in the Summit League. They return eight of their starting 11, including the 2014 Summit League Newcomer of the Year and the team's leading scorer in Uriel Macias and three-time All-Summit Leaguer Eduardo Cortes.

UIC will have one more exhibition match at Saint Louis on Aug. 22 before getting the regular season underway at home on Aug. 28 against Bradley.

Get to Know the Newcomers

	Jaime Alonso Hometown: Chicago, Ill. High School: Whitney M. Young Club: Inter FC Height/Weight: 6-2/185 Position: MF PREP: Competed on varsity for four seasons at Whitney M. Young (Ill.) ... scored an impressive 42 goals and added 37 assists ... served as the team captain since his sophomore year ... earned All-Conference honors all four seasons, All-City as a sophomore, junior and senior, and All-Region in 2013 and 2014 ... named MVP as a junior and senior ... capped off his high school career with All-State recognition ... played in the club circuit for Inter FC ... won the USA Cup and Louisville Cup ... semi-finalist of the Robbie International and finalist of the IYSA State Cup ... appeared in the NPL National Tournament.
	Nestor Garcia Hometown: Chicago, Ill. High School: Lake View Club: Raiders FC/Chicago Fire Raiders Height/Weight: 5-7/139 Position: MF PREP: Four-year letterwinner at Lake View High School (Ill.) ... won the IHSA 2A Regional in 2011, 2012 and 2013 ... in four seasons, scored 18 goals and added 21 assists ... scored a pair of goals to lift LVHS to a 3-1 victory for the 2012 IHSA 2A Sectional Championship ... captured Lake View's first ever CPS City Championship as a junior with a defeat over Lane Tech ... named All-Conference as a senior and earned MVP recognition ... while competing with Raiders FC, won the 2014 US Club Soccer Midwest Regional and was a semi-finalist in the 2014 IYSA Illinois State Cup ... crowned the 2015 IYSA Illinois State Cup Champions with the Chicago Fire Raiders while serving as a 2015 US Youth Region II finalist.
	Oscar Gonzalez Hometown: Chicago, Ill. High School: Carl Schurz Club: Chicago Fire Academy Height/Weight: 5-6/135 Position: MF PREP: Played his senior season at Carl Schurz (Ill.) and was named All-Conference and All-City ... Played club soccer for the Chicago Fire U18 USSDA team, winning the USSDA Central Division Championship in back-to-back seasons ... Started 50 of 51 matches in the last two seasons, contributing with 12 goals and 19 assists ... Scored the final goal in a 2-2 draw against New York Red Bull, clinching the top spot in the Fire's group at the USSDA Playoffs and leading the club to the National Quarterfinals ... Started in the USSDA Final vs. Real Salt Lake and helped the Fire to a 3-1 victory, capturing the 2014-15 U.S. Soccer Development Academy National Championship.
	Mike Jimenez Hometown: Munster, Ind. High School: Munster Club: Chicago Fire Academy Height/Weight: 5-8/165 Position: B PREP: Lettered in soccer as a senior at Munster (Ind.) ... helped the Mustangs captured the conference and sectional championships ... Played club soccer for the Chicago Fire U18 USSDA team, winning the USSDA Central Division Championship in back-to-back seasons ... Started 38 matches in the last two seasons (including 24 in 2014/15) ... Helped anchor the back-line to 22 shut-outs over the last two seasons while contributing with 2 goals and 6 assists ... Scored the game-winning goal in extra-time against the Montreal Impact in the National Semifinals and scored the first goal against Real Salt Lake in the USSDA Final to help lead the Fire to a 3-1 victory and win the 2015-15 U.S. Soccer Development Academy National Championship.
	Jack Monson Hometown: Lindenhurst, Ill. High School: Lakes Community Club: Racine United Height/Weight: 6-3/195 Position: GK PREP: Lettered in soccer and basketball at Lakes Community (Ill.) ... named All-Conference while serving as the team captain for the soccer team his senior season ... won the regional titles in both soccer and basketball and made a run in sectionals for the state title ... competed with Racine United in the club circuit ... won the Wisconsin Presidents Cup in 2014.
	Grant Sicard Hometown: Naples, Fla. High School: Montverde Academy Club: Club Italo/Leg-AZ Soccer Height/Weight: 5-10/165 Position: B PREP: Spent three years attending Escuela Campo Alegre in Caracas, Venezuela, before finishing his final year at Montverde Academy (Fla.) ... lettered in soccer, basketball and volleyball ... won the winter soccer national championship as a senior ... named CAISSA Soccer Champions and placed as an All-Star his junior season ... as a sophomore, was named MVP and took third place at VANAS and CAISSA ... collected the VANAS Championship his freshman year and was named an All-Star ... competed for Club Italo in Venezuela and Leg-AZ Soccer Caimans in Florida.
	Max Todd Hometown: Edinburgh, Scotland High School: George Heriots School Club: Hibernian FC Height/Weight: 5-9/159 Position: F PREP: Played senior soccer while attending George Heriots School (Scotland) ... crowned the Scottish Schools Champions and League winners in 2013 ... served as a Scottish School Internationalist in 2012 and 2013 ... finished as the runner up of the Lothian Cup in 2012 ... was a Scottish High School semifinalist in 2012 ... played in the academy for storied Scottish club Hibernian FC, capturing the Milan Trezarro Tournament on two occasions while also being named the East of Scotland Champions ... most recently earned four caps with the Scotland Under 17 National Team.
	Jaime Zaragoza Hometown: Chicago, Ill. High School: Eric Solorio Academy Club: Raiders FC/Chicago Fire Raiders Elite Height/Weight: 5-9/142 Position: F PREP: Lettered in soccer for three seasons at Eric Solorio Academy (Ill.) ... captained the team his senior season as he was named All-City after leading the Sun Warriors to their third-consecutive conference championship ... scored the game-tying goal in the city playoffs against Lane Tech ... earned All-Conference laurels as a junior ... competed for Raiders FC and Chicago Fire Raiders Elite ... won the US Club Midwest Regional Championship in 2014 and finished as the IYSA semifinalist the same year with the Raiders ... helped the Chicago Fire Raiders Elite to the 2015 IYSA State Cup Championship and to the final of the USYS Region II Championship.