IRVING, Texas – Defending men’s soccer regular-season and tournament champion UCF was selected as the league favorite in the 2021 American Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches’ Poll that was released on Thursday. The preseason rankings were voted on by the conference’s six head coaches.
The Knights earned three of the five possible votes as the conference favorite to win the 2021 American Men’s Soccer Championship, notching 22 of 25 possible points. UCF senior defender Yanis Leerman was the leading vote getter in the running for preseason American Defensive Player of the Year honors.
SMU, the three-time American tournament champion, received two first-place votes and accumulated 21 points to place second in the preseason poll.