ROCHESTER, Mich. - Malik Sylvester will join the 2022 Oakland men's soccer roster announced by Head Coach Eric Pogue. 

A 6-foot-1-inch center back, Sylvester played for the BTB Academy in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. In 2019, Sylvester held the back line for his club team as they won provincial and national championship titles. The Canadian native was also part of the provincial team named 2019 Canada Western Summer Games champion. 

Sylvester also kept top marks in the classroom and was named to the honor roll. 

"Malik has a bright future in Black & Gold over the next four years plus for Oakland. He has tremendous size, strength, athleticism, technical skill on the ball, and a high soccer IQ, so we are expecting big things from Malik from day one in Rochester," Pogue said. "We were extremely impressed with Malik's success in the classroom, his maturity off the field, and his professionalism on the field. He should fit right in with our team culture as we pursue back-to-back Horizon League Championships this fall. "

"Malik comes to us from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and the BTB Academy, and we are looking forward to opening a recruiting pipeline in a new Canadian city after we've had so much success through the years in the greater Toronto area," Pogue added. 

Malik on coming to Oakland
After lots of thought and consideration, I have decided that Oakland is the best fit for me. After attending a visit to the university, I was able to see a great atmosphere and hard-working coaching staff, making for a winning team. I am very excited to take the next step in my soccer journey with the Golden Grizzlies!

Malik's three reasons for choosing Oakland
1. Beautiful athletic facilities 
2. Great coaching staff
3. Successful team