Sports season
The 2019 Mid-American Conference men's soccer season will be the 27th season of men's varsity soccer in the Mid-American Conference .
Akron enters the season as the conference tournament champions. West Virginia enters the season as the defending conference regular season champions.
Background
Previous season
The 2018 season was the 26th season of men's varsity soccer in the Mid-American Conference. Akron won the 2018 MAC Men's Soccer Tournament against Western Michigan .[ 1] With the MAC Tournament title, Akron earned an automatic bid into the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament . MAC regular season champions, West Virginia , earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. West Virginia and Akron were unseeded in the tournament meaning both programs began in the first round.
In the tournament, West Virginia advanced past LIU Brooklyn before losing in Georgetown in the second round. Akron reached the NCAA College Cup for the second consecutive season, and for the sixth time in program history. This came after defeating Rider , Syracuse , Wake Forest , three-time defending champions Stanford , and Michigan State . In the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship Game , Akron lost to Maryland, 0–1 off of a penalty kick from Amar Sejdič .[ 2] [ 3]
Coaching changes
Ahead of the 2019 season, SIUE head coach Mario Sanchez was hired by professional soccer club, Louisville City FC .[ 4] Cale Wassermann was hired to replace Sanchez.[ 5]
Teams
Team
Location
Stadium
Capacity
Coach
Uniforms supplier
Akron Zips
Akron, Ohio
FirstEnergy Stadium-Cub Cadet Field
4,000
Jared Embick
adidas
Bowling Green Falcons
Bowling Green, Ohio
Cochrane Stadium
1,000
Eric Nichols
Nike
Northern Illinois Huskies
DeKalb, Illinois
NIU Soccer and Track & Field Complex
1,500
Ryan Swan
adidas
SIU Edwardsville Cougars
Edwardsville, Illinois
Ralph Korte Stadium
4,000
Cale Wassermann
adidas
West Virginia Mountaineers
Morgantown, West Virginia
Dlesk Stadium
1,600
Marlon LeBlanc
Nike
Western Michigan Broncos
Kalamazoo, Michigan
WMU Soccer Complex
500
Chad Wiseman
adidas
Preseason
Preseason poll
The preseason poll was released on August 26, 2019.[ 6]
Team Ranking
Points
First
1.
Akron
35
5
2.
Western Michigan
27
1
3.
West Virginia
22
0
4.
SIUE
15
0
5.
Bowling Green
14
0
6.
Northern Illinois
13
0
Preseason national polls
The preseason national polls were released in July and August 2019. United Soccer Coaches, Soccer America , and TopDrawer Soccer have a Top 25 poll, while College Soccer News has a Top 30 poll.
Regular season
Early season tournaments
Early season tournaments will be announced in late Spring and Summer 2019.
Team
Tournament
Finish
Bowling Green
Chicago Classic
1st
SIUE
Michigan Classic
3rd
Western Michigan
Bronco Soccer Fest
1st
Conference results
Standings
Updated to match(es) played on August 3, 2019. Source: MAC
Postseason
MAC Tournament
The 2019 MAC Tournament was held from November 12–17, 2019.
First Round
Semifinals
Championship
1
Akron
0
4
Bowling Green
2
4
Bowling Green
1
5
Northern Illinois
1
4
Bowling Green
0
6
West Virginia
1
2
Western Michigan
2
3
SIUE
0
3
West Virginia
3
6
West Virginia
1
NCAA Tournament
The NCAA Tournament will begin in November 2019 and conclude on December 17, 2019.
Seed
Region
School
1st Round
2nd Round
3rd Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Championship
Rankings
National rankings
Improvement in ranking
Drop in ranking
RV
Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25
NV
No votes received
Pre
Wk 1
Wk 2
Wk 3
Wk 4
Wk 5
Wk 6
Wk 7
Wk 8
Wk 9
Wk 10
Wk 11
Wk 12
Wk 13
Wk 14
Wk 15
Wk 16
Final
Akron
3
21
RV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
None released
2
2
12
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
Bowling Green
NV
RV
25
RV
RV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
None released
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
Northern Illinois
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
None released
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
SIUE
NV
RV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
None released
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
West Virginia
23
21
RV
20
RV
23
RV
NV
NV
NV
None released
25
25
24
NV
RV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
Western Michigan
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
RV
None released
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
Regional rankings - USC North Region
Improvement in ranking
Drop in ranking
RV
Received votes but were not ranked in Top 10
NV
No votes received
The United Soccer Coaches' North Region includes teams from the Mid-American Conference, the Big Ten Conference, and the Horizon League.
Wk 1
Wk 2
Wk 3
Wk 4
Wk 5
Wk 6
Wk 7
Wk 8
Wk 9
Wk 10
Wk 11
Wk 12
Akron
6
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
Bowling Green
8
2
5
7
9
7
8
9
8
Northern Illinois
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
SIUE
5
8
NV
NV
NV
NV
10
6
6
West Virginia
3
4
2
6
2
3
9
10
NV
Western Michigan
NV
NV
NV
NV
NV
10
7
4
4
Awards and honors
Player of the week honors
Postseason honors
2019 MAC Men's Soccer Individual Awards
Award
Recipient(s)
Offensive Player of the Year
Defensive Player of the Year
Midfielder of the Year
Goalkeeper of the Year
Coach of the Year
Freshman of the Year
2019 MAC Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams
First Team Honorees
Second Team Honorees
All-Freshman Team Honorees
Sportsmanship Award Honorees
National awards
2020 MLS Draft
The 2020 MLS SuperDraft will be held in January 2020.
Homegrown players
The Homegrown Player Rule is a Major League Soccer program that allows MLS teams to sign local players from their own development academies directly to MLS first team rosters. Before the creation of the rule in 2008,[ 18] every player entering Major League Soccer had to be assigned through one of the existing MLS player allocation processes, such as the MLS SuperDraft .
To place a player on its homegrown player list, making him eligible to sign as a homegrown player, players must have resided in that club's home territory and participated in the club's youth development system for at least one year.[ 19] Players can play college soccer and still be eligible to sign a homegrown contract.
References
^ Fagerlin, A. J. (November 13, 2017). "Zips Claim 14th MAC Tournament Title in Victory over Western Michigan" . The Buchtelite . Retrieved October 25, 2018 .
^ "Maryland beats Akron to win men's soccer title" . ESPN.com . December 10, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2019 .
^ Bryant, Victor. "Maryland wins its fourth men's soccer national championship by beating Akron, 1-0, on second-half penalty kick" . baltimoresun.com . Retrieved May 14, 2019 .
^ "Mario Sanchez resigns as SIUE men's soccer head coach position" . EdGlenToday.com . Retrieved May 14, 2019 .
^ "MEN'S SOCCER: Cale Wassermann named SIUE men's soccer coach" . The Edwardsville Intelligencer . January 18, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019 .
^ "Akron Selected to Capture 2019 MAC Men's Soccer Title" . getsomemaction.com . Retrieved September 22, 2019 .
^ "United Soccer Coaches Top 25 NCAA DI Men — National Pre-Season Poll — August 6, 2019" . United Soccer Coaches . August 6, 2019. Archived from the original on August 11, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019 .
^ "College Soccer News 2019 Preseason National Poll" . collegesoccernews.com . CollegeSoccerNews.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019 .
^ "Soccer America Men's College Preseason Top 25" . socceramerica.com . Soccer America. August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2019 .
^ "College Soccer National Ranking - Preseason" . topdrawersoccer.com . Top Drawer Soccer. Retrieved August 26, 2019 .
^ "Heim Tabbed as Men's Soccer Player of the Week" . getsomemaction.com . Retrieved September 3, 2019 .
^ "Bowie and Robin Share Player of the Week Honors" . getsomemaction.com . Retrieved September 22, 2019 .
^ "Robles Grajera Honored as Men's Soccer Player of the Week" . getsomemaction.com . Retrieved September 22, 2019 .
^ "Gonzalez Named Men's Soccer Player of the Week" . getsomemaction.com . Retrieved October 5, 2019 .
^ "Muriel Albino Named Men's Soccer Player of the Week" . getsomemaction.com . Retrieved October 5, 2019 .
^ "Western Michigan's Bowie Earns MAC Player of the Week Honors" . getsomemaction.com . Retrieved October 19, 2019 .
^ "Sharp Named MAC Men's Soccer Player of the Week" . getsomemaction.com . Retrieved October 19, 2019 .
^ "MLS Draft 2013: Homegrown player initiative rises as draft declines" . Sporting News . Archived from the original on March 12, 2013. Retrieved May 14, 2019 .
^ "MLS 2012 Roster Rules" . Archived from the original on February 20, 2012.
External links
Final teams
Full members Affiliate members
Championships & awards Seasons
Regular Season Tournaments National Tournaments Rankings & awards
International
Club competitions National teams