Panther Preview: FIU Men’s Soccer 2021 Season

Fabio Lopez / Contributing Writer

The FIU Men’s soccer team announced their much-anticipated Spring 2021 schedule as the Panthers welcome a new coach and a revamped roster.

This season was originally set to begin in Fall 2020, but due to COVID-19  concerns, it got postponed to Spring 2021.

In 2019, FIU ended the year with a 10-3-5 overall record, reaching the Conference USA Tournament Semifinals, where they lost 1-0 against the Charlotte 49ers. 

Midfielders Alessandro Campoy led the Panthers by scoring six goals, while Inigo Sagarduy contributed seven assists.

The Panthers have lost about 12 players from last season’s roster. Players such as striker Andrew Booth and midfielders Sagarduy, Caleb Franke, and Alban Rousselet had a combined 14 goals and 18 assists last season. Additionally, FIU also lost Daniel Gagliardi, their starting goalkeeper.

With so many significant departures, FIU recruited players in virtually every position to fill in the gaps within the squad. 

Fresh Competition

Goalkeepers Grant Makela, Johan Penaranda, and Brison Moorhead were brought in as they will fight for a spot to replace Gagliardi as the starting keeper. 

Returning reserve keepers Tyler Hogan and Francesco Montali can anticipate fighting for a spot in the team sheet.

Defenders Aron Heiddal, Nick O’ Callaghan, and Jakob Rylander departed from the Panthers’ 2019 squad. FIU has added freshman defender Johannes Vedin to the team.

The Panthers witnessed midfielders Xavi Olmos Ferris, Sagarduy, Booth, Franke, Rousselet, and Mohamed Conde all depart from last seasons’ squad. This exodus of players opened the door for five new faces in the squad.

Midfielders Kareem Riley, Mauro Bravo, Tavon Mussenden, Omri Ezra, and Jeremiah Edouard have all been added to the team, putting them in direct competition with midfielders Campoy, Matias Barraza, and Stephen Atrifa for a starting spot.  

Forward Andoni Garrogerricaechebarria is the sole striker remaining from last season after the departures of Ronaldo Marshall and Andrew Donley.

Andoni now has stiff competition as Kerry Sarmiento, Steven Raid, and Rasmus Tobinski were all brought in to earn a starting spot within the program.

New Year, New Coach

Following the departure of former head coach Kevin Nylen in January 2020, FIU was quick to announce the appointment of Kyle Russell as the new head coach in February. 

Prior to FIU, Russell spent 10 years with the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers men’s soccer program, serving as an assistant coach from 2010-14 and as an associate head coach from 2015-19.

As staff for the Chanticleers, Russell was tasked with being the primary recruiting coordinator, scouting, game-day preparation, video analysis, and coordinating CCU’s defensive unit.

Under Russell’s guidance, the Chanticleers won a total of 12 championship titles which included:

-Four Big South regular-season titles (2009,11,12,13)

-Three Big South Tournament titles (2010,13,14)

-Three Sun Belt Tournament titles (2016,17,19)

-Two Sun Belt Regular-Season titles (2016,17)

Russell’s defensive approach also heavily contributed to Coastal Carolina’s success. The team was ranked in the top 20 percent of the NCAA in goals-against-average while winning seven Big South trophies.

He also coached four-straight Big South Defensive Players of the Year  awards from 2010-2014 while 12 of his defensive players earned the All-Big South honors award.

Cameron Sauro and Dannie Merida were named as Russel’s assistant coaches soon after. Sauro previously worked at the  East Tennessee State Buccaneers where he primarily worked with the goalkeeper unit. 

At East Tennessee, Sauro contributed to their defence being ranked as the best in the Southern Conference (SoCon). He also mentored goalkeeper Josh Perryman who was named the 2019 SoCon Goalkeeper of the year.

Merida was a former Panther player himself, playing as a defender in the 2004-05 season, securing a 2004 Atlantic Soccer Conference Championship.

He brings 11 years of collegiate coaching experience as he led the Stony Brook SeaWolves men’s soccer to an AE regular-season title in 2018. 

When speaking with FIU Athletics back in August, Russell commented on his staff’s approach this season, stating, “We have a staff that is from all over that have coached at the Division I level at different universities. The one thing that we all have in common is that we’re player-coaches. We believe in making the players not just better players but into better people, and help growing them as individuals.”

Russell and his staff have a history of excellent interpersonal relationships with their players. This can work towards benefitting the team as it creates more chemistry on the pitch and harmony in the locker room.

However, it remains to be seen how Russell’s defensive approach to games will impact FIU’s performance on the pitch. 

2021 Season Preview 

The Panthers have played two exhibition matches, defeating both the No.8 Central Florida Knights and South Florida Bulls by scores of 2-0.  The Panther’s next three games will be against Jacksonville, FGCU, and UNF prior to beginning the Conference USA regular season tournament.

There will be a total of nine games this regular season, contrasting their 16-game season last year. Including Jacksonville, five of their matches will be at the FIU Soccer Stadium, and four will be on the road. 

 Vs the Jacksonville Dolphins (Postponed)

Originally planned to play on Sunday, February 7th, the game has been postponed due to COVID-19 issues with the Jacksonville men’s soccer program.

Vs the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (02/17/2021)

FIU’s head-to-head record against Florida Gulf Coast Eagles is 8-4, dating back to 2007.  Their last matchup was in 2019 and resulted in a 3-2 win for the Panthers.

FGCU finished 9-8-2 overall and 4-1-1 in their conference. They qualified for the ASUN’s Men’s Soccer Championship, where they lost 2-1 in the final against the No.1. New Jersey Institute of Technology Highlanders.

The Panther’s must be wary of O’vonte Mulling as he scored 9 goals last season for the Eagles. FIU will need a strong defensive performance in order to give their new-look attack and midfield the chance to gel and be clinical in front of the goal.

FIU will play at home on Wednesday, February 17th, at 7 p.m.

At the North Florida Ospreys (02/20/2021)

The North Florida Ospreys held a 6-8-2 overall record in 2019, going 3-2-1 in the conference. They made it to the ASUN semifinals before getting knocked out by FGCU.

Against the Ospreys, FIU has a 4-2-1 head-to-head record. Their last game was played in September 2019 and ended 1-1 with neither team able to pull off a victory.

The Panthers are undefeated in three games against UNF, tying 1-1 and winning their next two matches 5-3 and 5-0 respectively.

With their previous tie seemingly an outlier, FIU will just need to focus on making sure that their offence clicks in front of goals. This will rely heavily on the midfield players setting up the newly recruited forwards so that more goalscoring opportunities are realized.

FIU will play at Jacksonville on Saturday, February 20th, at 7 p.m.

Vs The Florida Atlantic Owls (03/06/2021)

The Panthers have historically dominated the Florida Atlantic Owls, winning in their last six encounters and losing only twice since 2006. FIU holds an 11-2-1 overall record against the Owls.

Their last matchup was in September 2019, where the Panthers finished 6-1 winners. Campoy scored a hattrick while Franke, Barraza, and Marshall scored a goal each.

FAU finished 3-4 in Conference USA and 7-8-1 overall in 2019, making their first C-USA Tournament appearance, where they lost 2-0 against Kentucky.

Forward Ivan Mykhailenko was the Owl’s top scorer last season with seven goals and can prove to be a threat for the Panthers. However, Mykhailenko may struggle to get on the scoresheet without the support of forward Alex Alexis, who contributed with seven assists last season. FIU’s defence can potentially tame the Owls attack as they only have two registered forwards this season. 

FIU will play at home on Saturday, March 6th, at 12 p.m.

At the Marshall Thundering Herd (03/13/2021)

Marshall will prove to be a more formidable opponent for the Panthers. They had a historic 2019 season,winning the C-USA Regular Season Title, winning the C-USA Tournament,  and reaching the third round of the NCAA Tournament, where they lost against the Washington Huskies. 

The Herd ended the season earning 16 wins and three losses, their best record since 2000. 

The Panther’s overall record against Marshall is 9-8, dating back to 2006. FIU have lost their last two encounters. Last season, Marshall won 2-1, with Jamil Roberts scoring both goals for the Herd.

FIU have to ensure that their defence is disciplined as they will have to keep the likes of Milo Yosef and Roberts, who scored 12 and 8 goals respectively, at bay.

FIU will play at Huntington, West Virginia on Saturday, March 13th, at 12 p.m.

Vs the Alabama-Birmingham Blazers (03/20/2021)

The UAB Blazers endured a lackluster 2019, winning three games as their year ended 3-12-2 overall and 1-5-1 in the C-USA as they failed to qualify for the C-USA Tournament, finishing in seventh out of eight teams.

The Panthers are currently on a five game winning streak against the Blazers, with their last victory coming in September 2019 by a score of 2-0. Their head-to-head record is 7-7-1, dating back to 2006.

The Blazers failed to score more than one goal in all of their conference games in 2019. UAB is currently 1-6 in their opening matches as they prepare for the C-USA section of their season.

FIU has conceded more than one goal only three times last season. Given UAB’s difficulty when it comes to scoring, The Panthers will realistically only have to ensure that their strikers and midfielders are efficient in front of the goal.

FIU will play at home on Saturday, March 20th, at 1 p.m.

At the Charlotte 49ers (03/27/21)

The Charlotte 49er’s endured a prolific 2019 which saw them reach the C-USA Tournament Final, where they lost 1-0 against Marshall, and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and lost 2-1 to the Clemson Tigers.

The 49er’s finished the year 12-4-4 overall and 4-0-3 in the conference. FIU’s head-t0-head against Charlotte is 0-7-2, as the Panthers’ have yet to win a game against them, with their last game resulting in a 1-0 loss. 

Teddy Chaouche was Charlotte’s most prolific player last season, leading the team with seven goals and nine assists. He has since graduated, meaning that the 49er’s need their players to step up in order to fill the hole he’s almost certainly going to leave in attack.

Chaouche has scored or assisted in Charlotte’s last two victories over FIU. With him gone, the Panthers have a golden opportunity to capture their first win over the 49er’s. They just need to keep their defence solid and be more efficient in front of the goal.

FIU will play at Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday, March 27th, at 2 p.m.

Vs the Kentucky Wildcats (04/03/2021)

The Kentucky Wildcats held a 13-5-3 overall record in 2019. They qualified for the C-USA Championship, where they lost 1-0 against Marshall. The Wildcats then went on to reach the NCAA Championship Second Round, falling 3-0 to the Indiana Hoosiers.

FIU’s overall record against Kentucky in 2019 was 6-7-1. The Panthers are undefeated in their last 5 encounters, winning four and drawing one game. Their last matchup resulted in the Wildcats losing 2-1 as Booth and Mohamed Conde sealed the game in the final minutes.

With Booth and Conde both no longer in this year’s roster, FIU will have to rely on their new recruits in midfield and attack to get a result this time around seeing how evenly contested their last encounter was.

FIU will play at home on Saturday, April 3rd, at 6 p.m. 

Vs the South Carolina Gamecocks (04/10/2021)

The South Carolina Gamecocks ended their 2019 campaign 7-9-2 overall and 2-5-0 in the conference, losing 0-3 to FIU in the C-USA Tournament Quarterfinals.

The Panther’s have struggled to get consistent results against the Gamecocks, holding a 2-9-4 head-to-head record. Their last two matches ended with the Panthers winning 3-2 in the C-USA Tournament Quarterfinals while losing in 1-0 in the conference.

The Gamecocks main attacking threat would be forward Brian Banaham, who led the team with six goals. Forwards Logan Frost, Christian Kraus, and Banaham all have two goals in five games so far this season.

Assuming the USC forwards continue their goalscoring form throughout the season, they can prove to be a real headache for the Panthers.

Given how the Gamecocks are performing so far, FIU’s defence will have to keep themselves well drilled and organized in order to keep USC’s forwards at bay.

FIU will play at home on Saturday, April 10th, at 12 p.m.

At the Old Dominion Monarchs (04/17/2021)

The Old Dominion Monarchs had a lackluster 2019 season that saw them finish 3-11-1 overall and only 1-5-1 in the conference.  

The Panthers hold a 6-3 overall record over the Monarchs. Their last match resulted in FIU winning by an emphatic 5-0 scoreline in which Franke scored three goals and Campoy contributed with two.

The Monarch’s performed a complete overhaul in their forward department as each of their four forwards are all freshmen.

With an unproven attack, it is difficult to predict how ODU will perform by the end of the season while similar things can be said about FIU’s roster.

The Panther’s focus leading up to this game should be to establish their strongest lineup and attempt to secure the game early in the first half. 

FIU will play at Norfolk, Virginia on Friday, April 17th, at 2 p.m.