SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Tim Vom Steeg and the UC Santa Barbara Men’s Soccer team have added three more eye-catching recruits to their incoming 2026 freshman class, adding players with unique skillsets and experiences to further deepen the roster. Midfielders Martin Ødegaard Østhagen and Brennan Mulholland add more international flavor to the Gauchos’ engine room, while Neo Mishan arrives in Santa Barbara on the back of high school and club careers where he played two radically different roles to equal effect.

Martin Ødegaard Østhagen | Midfielder | 6’1” | FK Lyn

There is nothing like a great playmaking midfielder, and if nothing else, Østhagen has the name for it. The 19-year-old not only shares a name and homeland with current Arsenal and Norway captain Martin Ødegaard; he is a player built in the same mold. Comfortable anywhere in the center of the park between the 18-yard areas, he has played the past two years in Norway’s third division after coming up through Skeid’s academy system. In the 2024-25 season, he flexed his playmaking and scoring abilities to the tune of six goals and five assists and finished as the top scorer in Norway’s OBOS Super Cup. That performance earned him a move to Lyn for 2025-26, where he tallied a pair of goals and five assists through the team’s first 13 matches.

"Martin is a classic attacking midfielder capable of both scoring goals and assisting others,” Vom Steeg said. “He was extremely sought after by numerous top college programs but the appeal of playing in the West Coast at a highly rated educational institution and for a nationally recognized soccer program was enough to secure his commitment. We are excited to see him develop over the next four years.”

Brennan Mulholland | Attacking Midfielder | 5’9” | Phoenix Rising Academy

Adding another piston in the Gauchos’ engine room is Arizona native Brennan Mulholland, the majority of whose resume is filled with impressive stints with teams in his home state, including Barcelona and Real Salt Lake’s Arizona academies. He arrives in Santa Barbara having most recently played in USL Championship side Phoenix Rising’s academy, where he trained with the first team while competing with the best young players in the country in MLS NEXT. Mulholland earned a spot in the national showcase MLS NEXT FEST, but what really jumps off the page is the trial he earned with Argentinian powerhouse Club Atletico Independiente. From August to December of 2025, Mulholland trained in the same academy that produced legendary strikers Sergio Agüero and Diego Forlán. Expect him to inject some of that attacking instinct into his game, as Mulholland is also comfortable playing on the wing, where South American flair has long thrived.

“Similarly to Martin, Brennan had options to continue his career in a professional pathway,” Vom Steeg said. “Fortunately for UCSB, he decided that his next step in his career would be college soccer and that Santa Barbara would be his best choice. Brennan adds another attacking player up the field that is capable of unlocking defenses both off the dribble or the pass. We have attempted with this year's recruiting class to find young attacking players like Brennan who we can develop and will grow with our program.”

Neo Mishan | Wingback/Winger | 5’9” | LAFC SoCal

Speaking of the wing, the signing of Woodland Hills native Neo Mishan further bolsters the Gauchos’ wide options. Like Italian newcomer Simone Ferrieri — who has already impressed in spring practices and exhibitions — Mishan has played every position from back to front on the wing, as an outside back for LAFC SoCal and the LAFC Academy team, while playing as a forward for his Viewpoint High School side. With LAFC SoCal, Mishan won three league titles and was a Southwest All-Conference First Team selection. He also spent a two-year stint in the LAFC Academy, competing at the semi-professional level in the United Premier Soccer League and MLS Next. At Viewpoint High School, he was the team captain and top goal scorer, earning Gold Coast League MVP and First Team honors. In the short term, Mishan’s skillset makes him an option to back up Peleg Brown in Santa Barbara’s attacking left wingback role. In the long term, he projects to be Brown’s successor. 

“Neo was recruited to the program because he has the physical ability and skill level to compete at the Division 1 level as a freshman,” Vom Steeg said. What makes him such an important recruit for us is his ability to add depth not only to the left side of the field but most other positions as well. The experience of playing multiple positions at the high school and club level has given him invaluable experience which we will use over the next four years.”