PROVIDENCE, R.I. – All eight of the American Athletic Conference’s men’s soccer teams will begin the 2018 season this coming weekend, with every squad in action on Friday followed by contests on Sunday and Monday.
Four American teams enter the season with national recognition in the rankings, signaling what is sure to be another hotly-contested season for the conference. Defending champion SMU gathered top 10 placements in both preseason polls, taking No. 8 in the United Soccer Coaches poll and No. 6 in the TopDrawerSoccer poll. UCF, selected as the favorite in the Preseason American Coaches’ Poll, leads three other teams to receive votes from United Soccer Coaches, collecting 11. USF picked up eight votes, with UConn also earning a tally.
SMU is coming off a deep NCAA Championship run in 2017, knocking off Central Arkansas and Georgetown before falling to North Carolina in the Third Round. The Mustangs return their top offensive weapon from last year in Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Garrett McLaughlin. As a sophomore, McLaughlin led The American with 31 points (14 goals, three assists) and picked up First Team All-Conference honors. Joining McLaughlin on the Preseason All-Conference Team is the 2017 American Championship Most Outstanding Player, Emil Cuello, who will anchor the midfield. The Mustangs welcome Providence College to Dallas on Friday for the season opener before squaring off with Campbell on Sunday.
Despite losing two-time American Offensive Player of the Year Matias Pyysalo, UCF returns plenty of firepower for 2018. The Knights made their first appearance in the conference championship match last year and bring back their second- and third-highest point scorers in Cal Jennings and Yoni Sorokin, respectively. Defender Andreas Steineger joins the offensive duo on the Preseason All-Conference Team, as the Knights are primed to pursue their first-ever American title. UCF travels on Friday to meet Penn State before Sunday’s home opener against UC Irvine.
UConn has now finished in the top-three of the Preseason Coaches’ Poll in all six years of The American, once again featuring a deep lineup. Offensively, Abdou Mbacke Thiam returns for his senior campaign as the conference’s career goal-scoring leader with 31 in his first three seasons. Along with Thiam, the Huskies saw two defenders earn Preseason All-Conference accolades in Jacob Hauser-Ramsey and Dylan Greenberg. Hauser-Ramsey was tabbed the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, as he and Thiam were First Team All-Conference selections in 2017. The Huskies face stiff non-conference competition, including ranked opponents Notre Dame, Indiana, Dartmouth and Akron, and begin with two games at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium this weekend against Lehigh and Niagara.
USF, the fourth-place team in the Preseason Poll, looks to again be in the hunt for 2018. The Bulls’ leading scorer in 2017’s balanced attack was Adrian Billhardt, who returns for his sophomore season after taking First Team All-Conference honors as a freshman. Billhardt tied for second in the league with six assists last season to go along with five goals. Senior Christian Knight was selected as the Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year after sporting a 1.08 goals against average in 11 appearances last season. USF will face two ranked opponents, Michigan State and Michigan, right out of the gate, and have a meeting with Florida International scheduled for October.
Tulsa, the 2016 American Athletic Conference champion, was selected fifth in the Preseason Poll and is ready to build on last season with 20 returning players, including eight starters and 2017’s leading scorer Miguel Velasquez. The Golden Hurricane also kick off with Michigan and Michigan State this coming week before five-straight home games leading into conference play.
Temple enters 2018 under new head coach Brian Rowland after exceeding expectations in 2017. The Owls earned the fourth and final spot in the conference tournament with a 4-3-0 league slate. Rowland returns 11 from that roster while adding 17 new faces. Four road games kick off Temple’s season beginning with a trip to UMBC on Friday.
Cincinnati’s Austin Smythe earned Preseason All-Conference accolades and will look to lead the Bearcats up the conference rankings this season. Memphis placed two on the preseason team, including defender Ben Roberts and midfielder David Zalzman, both Second Team All-Conference honorees last year. Friday’s matchup for Cincinnati will feature Northern Illinois making the trip to Gettler Stadium, while Memphis with host SIUE at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex.
The 2018 conference slate begins Friday, Sept. 21, with three league matchups scheduled to appear on the American Digital Network. Since establishing in 2013, American Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer has placed 12 teams in the NCAA Championship, garnered eight individual NSCAA/United Soccer Coaches All-American honors and currently features nine alumni on Major League Soccer rosters.