IRVING, Texas – Defending American Conference men's soccer regular season champion Charlotte has been selected as the 2026 preseason favorite for the third consecutive year, as voted on by the league's head coaches.
The 49ers earned 56 points and five of the nine possible first-place votes. Florida Atlantic, the defending American Conference tournament champions, placed second with 54 points and three first-place votes, followed by South Florida, who received the final first-place vote and 49 total points.
Missouri State finished in fourth place in the voting with 40 points, while FIU rounded out the top five with 38 points. Tulsa came in sixth place with 28 points, followed by UAB (27 points), Memphis (24 points) and Temple (8 points).
UAB's senior forward Humphrey Doh and Charlotte's senior forward Natsuki Ogata were named the American Preseason Offensive Players of the Year. Charlotte sophomore defender Samuel Manufor was selected as the American Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, while Florida Atlantic's senior goalkeeper Alfred Mikkelsen was chosen as the American Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
Doh enters his fourth season with the Blazers after having a career year during 2025. He started 14 of the 15 games for UAB, scoring two goals and assisting on four additional.
Ogata was a first-team all-conference at midfield in 2025, starting all 16 matches for the 49ers. The senior tied his career-high in points, scoring four goals and assisting on a fifth to finish with 9 points a season ago.
Manufor was named the 2025 American Freshman of the Year following his first season in Charlotte, starting in 15 of the 16 matches played. He helped anchor a backline that allowed just 12 goals all season.
Mikkelsen played in 14 matches for the Owls in 2025, helping Florida Atlantic capture their first American Conference tournament title. He finished with an 11-3 record on the season and recorded six shutouts, along with a .722 save percentage.
The 2026 American Preseason All-Conference Team features several returning award winners, including South Florida senior midfielder Pedro Faife (2025 First Team All-Conference), UAB junior defender Ole Jessen (2025 Second Team All-Conference), Tulsa's redshirt-junior midfielder Jared Aguilar (2025 Second Team All-Conference), Charlotte sophomore defender James Nyandjo (2025 All-Freshman Team), FIU sophomore forward Johan Helan (2025 All-Freshman Team) and Memphis sophomore forward Miller Lashlee (2025 All-Freshman Team).
Additional honorees include Florida Atlantic's junior defender David Roberts and senior midfielder Felipe Santos, FIU's senior forward Pasquale Capriati and junior defender Alfonso Gilleard-Soriano, and Memphis' redshirt-senior forward Eben McIntyre.
2026 American Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. Charlotte (5) 56
2. Florida Atlantic (3) 54
3. South Florida (1) 49
4. Missouri State 40
5. FIU 38
6. Tulsa 28
7. UAB 27
8. Memphis 24
9. Temple 8
(#) denotes first place votes
Preseason Offensive Players of the Year
Humphrey Doh, Sr., F, UAB
Natsuki Ogata, Sr., F, Charlotte
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Samuel Manufor, So., D, Charlotte
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
Alfred Mikkelsen, Sr., GK, Florida Atlantic
Preseason All-Conference
Humphrey Doh, Sr., F, UAB
Ole Jessen, Jr., D, UAB*
Samuel Manufor, So., D, Charlotte*
James Nyandjo, So., D, Charlotte
Natsuki Ogata, Sr., F, Charlotte
Alfred Mikkelsen, Sr., GK, Florida Atlantic
David Roberts, Jr., D, Florida Atlantic
Felipe Santos, Sr., M, Florida Atlantic
Pasquale Capriati, Sr., F, FIU
Alfonso Gilleard-Soriano, Jr., D, FIU
Johan Helan, So., F, FIU
Miller Lashlee, So., F, Memphis
Eben McIntyre, R-Sr., M, Memphis
Pedro Faife, Sr., M, South Florida*
Jared Aguilar, R-Jr., M, Tulsa
* denotes unanimous selection