IRVING, Texas – The bracket has been officially set for the four-team 2021 American Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Championship, set to take place on Nov. 10 and Nov. 13 at the Hurricane Soccer and Track Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tulsa is the fifth different American team to host the men’s soccer championship and earned the tournament’s top seed following a historic conference regular season.
The first tournament semifinal between No. 2 UCF and No. 3 Memphis is scheduled for Nov. 10 at 5:30 p.m. (ET)/4:30 p.m. (CT). That match will be followed by No. 1 Tulsa against No. 4 SMU at approximately 8 p.m. (ET)/7 p.m. (CT). The championship match is set for 8 p.m. (ET)/7 p.m. (CT) on Nov. 13. All three matches from the American Men’s Soccer Championship will air live on ESPN+.
No. 1 Seed Tulsa (13-1-1, 8-1-1, 25 points) is the tournament’s top seed for the first time and claimed its first No. 1 seed in a league tournament since the 2009 Conference USA Men’s Soccer Championship. The Golden Hurricane established an American conference record with eight league wins and 25 points to finish the regular season 13-1-1 overall. Tulsa previously won the American Men’s Soccer Championship as the No. 2 seed in 2014 and 2016 and as the No. 4 seed in 2015.
No. 2 Seed UCF (8-7, 6-4, 18 points) returns to the American Men’s Soccer Championship for the ninth straight season, fresh off claiming its first tournament title during the spring with a 1-0 victory over Tulsa in April in Orlando. The tournament triumph for the Knights was the culmination of four straight trips to the championship final (three as the host and top seed). UCF is the only team in the country to defeat Tulsa yet this season after downing the Golden Hurricane 3-2 on Oct. 10.
No. 3 Seed Memphis (6-8-2, 5-4-1, 16 points) is back in the American Men’s Soccer Championship semifinals for the second time in program history, reaching the final four as the No. 6 seed in 2018 before losing to eventual champion SMU in double overtime. The Tigers earned a result in their final three starts and six of their final eight matches in American play to qualify for the league tournament.
No. 4 Seed SMU (8-4-3, 5-4-1, 16 points) is a previous three-time American Men’s Soccer champion, capturing the hardware from 2017-19. The Mustangs have reached the conference semifinal round on six occasions. SMU checked in 38th in the most recent version of the NCAA RPI, logging a 1-1-2 record against the current top 25 in the rankings.
2021 American Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Championship
November 10 & 13, 2021
Hurricane Soccer and Track Stadium
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Semifinals - Wednesday, November 10
No. 3 Memphis vs. No. 2 UCF – 5:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
No. 4 SMU vs. No. 1 Tulsa – 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
Final - Saturday, November 13
Semifinal winners – 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT (ESPN+)