UC Santa Barbara
2018: Mateo Restrepo Mejia appeared in 11 matches, starting two in his junior year for the Gauchos...Had one shot attempt against Cal State Fullerton (Oct. 6)...Mejia's two starts came against UCR (Oct.10)...Logged a total of 203 minutes on the pitch.
2017: Appeared in all 19 games with 10 starts during his sophomore campaign … Made his first start of the season at San Diego State on Sept. 4 … Started the final six matches of the year … Totaled seven shots with a season-high of two coming against UC Irvine (Oct. 7) … Logged 1,137 total minutes on the pitch.
2016: UCSB's opening day right back, Restrepo Mejia went on to make 17 appearances and five starts as a true freshman ... Notched one assist for the season, added two shots (both on goal) and was booked twice ... His assist came on UCSB's very first goal of the year, a Daniel Amo score in the fifth minute against Oakland on Aug. 26 ... Totaled 595 minutes of action for the season ... Was ranked by Top Drawer Soccer as the No. 91 freshman in the college game.
Team Canada / Toronto FC Academy
Spent three years with the Toronto FC Academy, five years in the Canadian National Team program, and one year with FC Ingolstadt in the U-19 Bundesliga (Germany) ... In the Bundesliga, played against prestigious opponents such as Bayern Munich, 1860 Munich, Hoffenheim, Nuremberg, and Stuttgart ... In 2015, was called up to the U-18 Canadian National Team, where he participated in the Slovakia Cup playing against the likes of Slovakia, China, and Poland ... In 2014, trained with the Brentford F.C. Academy in London ... In 2014, played in the Coup de Limoges Tournament in France with the Canada U-18 team ... Played in the Aegon Future Cup with Toronto FC in 2014 ... Got his first call-up to Canada's U-18s in April 2013 ... Participated in the MLS Cup with Toronto in 2013 ... Captained the Canada U-15 Ontario Provincial team to a National Championship in 2012 ... In 2012, received his first national team call-up, to the Canada U-17 team, at just 14 years of age.
Personal
Mateo Restrepo Mejia was born on Apr. 29, 1997 to parents Jose Fernando Restrepo and Diane Mejia in Le Ceja, Colombia ... Has one younger sister, Sophia ... Plans on majoring in molecular, cellular, and developmental biology ... Aspires to become a doctor ... When not playing soccer, he is hanging out with friends, watching movies, and reading ... Can't do without his family ... Can best be described as hard-working ... Most memorable sporting moments is getting two assists in the U-19 Bundesliga against 1860 Munich (the first place team at the time) to avoid relegation ... Would love to play with FC Barcelona against Real Madrid ... Roots for FC Barcelona ... Lists Spanish defender Carles Puyol as his favorite athlete ... Goal! The Dream Begins is his favorite movie ... Likes to watch That 70's Show ... His favorite read is The Alchemist by Paolo Coehlo ... Attended Dante Alighieri Academy in Toronto.
