Gaku Nishimura, a lethal dead ball specialist who starred for the University of California-Berkeley and led Fort Wayne FC to consecutive USL League Two divisional titles, has signed with Cascades FC, the club announced today. The signing is pending league and federation approval.
Nishimura was a standout performer at Cascades FC’s pro combine on October 3 and 4, and impressed head coach Darren Sawatzky and assistant coach Conner Cappelletti enough to earn his first professional contract.
“I believe this club has a bright future ahead, both in terms of success on the field and its impact on the local community,” said Nishimura. “I’m excited to be part of that journey and help build something special. I really enjoyed the combine because it was a great opportunity to compete in a high-level environment alongside players from different backgrounds. I also got to understand the philosophy and vision of Coach Darren and Coach Conner, which made me even more excited for next season.”
“We worked hard to invite a very high level group of players into our combine in October,” said Sawatzky. “We were very happy with the level of play, and Gaku was particularly good with his ability to possess the ball and play lethal final passes behind the opposition. His work rate and humble approach was a welcome addition and we knew we wanted to sign him after the first day. We are delighted to add a clever player with a respectful approach to the professional game. The fans here at Civic Park are going to love watching Gaku do his thing.”
During his senior season at Cal, the Golden Bears advanced to the ACC men’s soccer tournament semifinals, with Nishimura’s assist setting up the only goal in Cal’s quarterfinal win over the University of Pittsburgh. He earned ACC All-Tournament Team honors, and was subsequently invited to the MLS College Showcase at the end of the season.
In all, Nishimura scored two goals and added five assists in two seasons with the Golden Bears, and picked up ACC All-Academic Team and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team honors to reflect the effort he put in off the pitch.
The Yokohama, Japan, native initially moved to the USA in 2022 to play for San Jose State University. He was handed corner kick duties immediately as a freshman, and was named to the All-WAC Freshman Team at the end of his first season. During his sophomore year he scored three goals with six assists, led the team in assists in conference play, and was named to the All-WAC Second Team.
No stranger to the USL ecosystem, Nishimura also spent the 2024 and 2025 summers playing for Fort Wayne FC in USL League Two, helping the club win its second and third Great Lakes Division titles before it made the jump to the professional ranks and joined USL League One for the 2026 season.
