‘The Messi Effect’: FIU soccer program benefits from superstar’s South Florida presence
Call it “The Messi Effect.”
The FIU Panthers’ men’s soccer team, which last year reached the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament – their furthest advance since 2003 – is on a roll.
This summer, FIU signed several top-level players, and coach Kyle Russell is convinced that some of that has to do with Lionel Messi joining Inter Miami in July.
“Messi has made recruiting easier for us,” Russell said. “If the best player in the world thinks this is a good soccer market, then the players we are recruiting can come here, too.
“Our players love to say, ‘I play in the same city as Messi,’ even though they’ve never met him.”
Indeed, the Panthers picked up seven key transfers: German-born midfielder Tim Schels (who was a team captain at the University of North Carolina); Denmark-born defender Kasper Skraep, (Oregon State); goalie Thomas Wallis (Charlotte); defender Owen Travis (UAB); Mexican-born midfielder Diego Castillo (the Freshman of the Year last season at Division I Utah Valley); Norway-born defender Adrian Barosen (from nationally ranked Missouri State); and Ghana-born forward Michael Appiah (All-American at the junior-college and NAIA levels).
In addition, FIU also brought in Mexican native Eduardo Mustre, a forward who played this past summer with a Mexican first-division pro team, Pachuca.
“He’s big time,” Russell said of Mustre. “He’s played for Mexico’s Under-20 national team, and he’s the second-leading goal scorer in Mexican academy soccer history.”
Those seven additions could make up for the loss of four graduated starters: Stephen Afrifa; David Garcia, Carlos Scheckmann and Matteo Gasperoni.
Afrifa led FIU last year in goals (10) and points (24). In December, Sporting Kansas City made him the eighth overall pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. Garcia is also in the MLS, playing for North Carolina FC.
Scheckmann, who had the winning penalty kick against New Hampshire in FIU’s second-round playoff win last season, is playing in Europe; and Gasperoni earned his Master’s degree and is now in his career after soccer.
But FIU, which had a first-round bye and lost 1-0 to seventh-ranked Duke in the third round of the NCAA tournament, also returns several key players, including Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro, who was one of the top scorers this past summer in USL League 2.
For FIU last year, Dos Santos Monteiro was second in goals (six) and points (15). He will lead an FIU forward group that includes Appiah, who may be the fastest player on the team; Simon Afrifa, who is the brother of last year’s leading scorer; Mustre; and Japan-born Fumiya Shiraishi, who was the Panthers’ leading goal-scorer this past summer.
“We don’t lack for options at forward,” Russell said. “We’re just trying to find the right combination.”
FIU’s leaders in the midfield are Schels and Japan-born Yushi Nagao. Both of those midfielders are pro prospects, Russell said.
There’s also midfielder Andrew Bennett, who had the game-winning goal over Florida Atlantic last season, giving FIU the conference regular-season title.
On defense, Mexican-born Edgar Aguilar and the aforementioned Travis are the keys. Russell said Travis – at 6-3 and 200 pounds — is “an animal” who starred in the preseason.
The Panthers feel good about their four goalies, including sixth-year senior Tyler Hogan, who missed last season following back surgery. But he played this past summer, leading Lionsbridge to the national title game in USL 2.
He is being challenged by Wallis, the Charlotte transfer; Iceland-born Vilhelm Sigurjonsson; and NCAA Division II transfer Beltran Fernandez.
Blessed with that well-rounded roster, FIU’s schedule features four teams who are in the preseason national Top-25 poll: No. 16 Tulsa: No. 19 SMU; No. 22 Akron; and No. 23 New Hampshire. The schedule also includes four other teams that made last year’s NCAA Tournament: Oregon State; South Florida; Memphis and Charlotte. The Panthers open the season Thursday at Oregon State.
“We want to make sure we’re ready to play anyone, anywhere,” Russell said. “Once we get to the NCAA tournament, we can’t be [bothered] by a different time zone or a West Coast style.”
FIU, which finished 14-5-1 last year – 9-2 at home and 5-3-1 on the road – will enter this season ranked 21st in the nation.
“Our students and the community do an awesome job of packing our place and giving us a tough home field,” Russell said. “We want to make our fans proud and protect our home field.”
It’s not Messi Magic, but FIU might be the next best thing in South Florida soccer.
This story was originally published August 22, 2023 at 8:28 AM.