Just down Allston Way, about a mile from the Oakland-Berkeley border, there is a modest community park, nestled into the surrounding neighborhood. From the outside looking in, Strawberry Creek Park is unassuming, tucked away into a grove of trees and frequented by young families watching their children gleefully swing on the monkey bars. But, as the sun starts to set and the day crowd meanders back to their homes, Strawberry Creek transforms into a proving ground. The floodlights illuminate a small concrete court, as young ballers from all over the Bay congregate to play the purest form of the game: street soccer.
“We call it the cages,” said Gabriel Bracken-Serra. A fleeting smile flickers across the 20 year-old’s face as he describes the park. “I would go with a couple of my friends, or my brother, and we would play until the lights went out. I would even go after high school games. I just wanted to play so badly.”
Bracken-Serra’s game reflects the time he spent navigating the cramped nooks and crannies of Strawberry Creek’s cages. Project 51O’s smooth midfield pivot controls the tempo of a match like a composer commands his orchestra, with metronomic precision. His close control and array of ball rolls and drag-backs make relieving Bracken-Serra of the ball an unenviable task, while his well-varied range of passing opens previously unseen channels. “I really enjoy watching Xavi and Toni Kroos,” said Bracken-Serra. “I love the players that use their brain and don’t just play with their athleticism, the ones that play great passes that nobody else sees.”
As a youngster plying his trade with local club ACC Mavericks, Bracken-Serra always played a year up, routinely competing with bigger and stronger players. Despite his physical limitations, his sharp soccer mind and cultured technical ability drew the attention of one of the best teams in the state, Lamorinda SC. “Lamorinda was a big step for me, and at first the players were much better than me,” Bracken-Serra explained.
“It was more pressure than I was used to, but that was good for me, and I was able to deal with a coach that had high standards. I kept working on my game, and started to play more and more.” – Gabriel Bracken-Serra
As Bracken-Serra continued to improve his standing playing for Lamorinda, he parlayed his club form into a sterling high school career. A four-year varsity letter winner at Berkeley High, Bracken-Serra captained the Yellow Jackets to a WACC League title his senior year, racking up 12 goals and 12 assists from midfield, and garnering a First Team All Conference nod in the process. “Playing with Berkeley High was always super fun, because you’re playing with friends that you’ve grown up with,” said Bracken-Serra. “Playing high school is almost like playing for your country at that age. You play for your city.”
Despite excelling on both the club and high school front, Bracken-Serra’s college recruiting journey was anything but seamless. “To be honest, I wasn’t recruited that much in high school,” he admitted. “I thought that I had what it took when it came to technique and feel for the game, but the physicality aspect was preventing me from getting looks from college coaches.” Bracken-Serra also faced an uphill battle to play Division I soccer as a club player, as many Division I college coaches prefer to recruit from other places. The only Division I school to offer Bracken-Serra the opportunity to prove himself was the University of San Francisco. After excelling at an identification camp, then-USF head coach Leonard Griffin saw potential in Bracken-Serra, an underdog with a major chip on his shoulder.
“I’ll always appreciate Leonard for giving me the opportunity to play at USF. No other Division I coaches believed in me, and he gave me the opportunity to showcase myself at the highest level of college soccer.”
Griffin’s faith in Bracken-Serra proved to be well-founded, as he went on to start 13 of 16 games as a freshman in 2021, scoring twice and providing an assist. His consistent performances on the pitch culminated in a West Coast Conference All-Freshman Team nod. “We went through a lot together as a group last season,” Bracken-Serra said. “But the bonds we formed during the fall were obvious during the spring season, when we went 4-1 with some big wins over good teams like Cal, St. Mary’s and UC Davis. The future is bright for the program.”
Although he is one of the underclassmen on his college team, Bracken-Serra has been relishing his role as one of the elder statesmen this summer with 51O. “We have a good mix of players with lots of talent,” said Bracken-Serra.
“I try to help the younger guys and teach them what I’ve learned over the course of my career, even though I am young myself!”
Developing in an organization with a professional first team has also been a highlight. “Summer was a time for me to improve individually, but at the same time, put myself in the most professional situation I possibly could,” Bracken-Serra explained. “With 51O, every training is planned out with great detail, and the coaches work really hard to make sure that we’re treated like professionals.”
Bracken-Serra’s professionalism has not gone unnoticed by the Roots staff. He has trained with the Roots first team, and the invaluable experience he has gained playing with seasoned professionals has translated to his performances for Project 51O: his three goals on the season trail only captain Javi Ruiz-Duran for the team lead, including a scintillating last-minute freekick to snatch a victory against Marin FC in May.
When it comes to his future in the game, Bracken-Serra does not hide his ambition, but remains humble, emphasizing the importance of each career step. “I want to play in the MLS, and go as far as possible in my career,” said Bracken-Serra. “But at the same time, I want to take it one step at a time, and continue to play as well as I possibly can for 51O. 51O’s proximity to Roots is also at the forefront of Bracken-Serra’s future aspirations. “I was at the first Roots game ever in 2019, and I have seen the club continue to grow since,” he says.
“It would be a dream come true to play for Roots.”
In spite of regularly competing in high pressure environments against some of the best players in the country for USF and Project 51O, Bracken-Serra brings the same joy, freedom and focus that he plays with in the cages of Strawberry Creek Park. “In the cages, you enjoy yourself, and you are not worried about anything happening outside of the lines,” Bracken-Serra reflected. “You just are there to play.”
