# 2020 Conference USA men's soccer season

The 2020 Conference USA men's soccer season is the 26th season of men's varsity soccer in the conference. The season was slated to begin on August 29, 2020 and conclude on November 14, 2020. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the season was postponed to begin on February 3, 2021, and conclude on April 17, 2021.
Despite the delay, Kentucky, South Carolina, and UAB will be playing competitive fixtures during the fall season.
Due to the pandemic, the regular season champion earned the league's automatic bid.
Marshall, who won the conference, won the national title game 1–0 in overtime over Indiana. This was not only Marshall's first men's soccer title, but was also the first national title in a team sport won by a Conference USA member while affiliated with the league.

## Background
### Previous season

The 2019 season saw Marshall win both the Conference USA regular season and tournament, the first time in program history. Marshall, Charlotte, and Kentucky earned berths into the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament. Charlotte and Kentucky were eliminated in the Second Round, while Marshall beat in-state rival, West Virginia to reach the Sweet Sixteen where they fell to the University of Washington.
Charlotte goalkeeper, Elliot Panicco earned the Senior CLASS Award.

## Head coaches

    As of 2019 season
| Team | Head coach | Previous job | Years at school | Overall record | Record at school | C-USA record | NCAA Tournaments | NCAA College Cups | NCAA Titles |
| Charlotte | Kevin Langan | Charlotte (asst.) | 9 | 98–38–24 (.688) | 98–38–24 (.688) | 42–10–13 (.746) | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| FIU | Kevin Nylen | Orlando City SC (scout) | 4 | 19–12–4 (.600) | 29–15–9 (.632) | 21–6–7 (.721) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Florida Atlantic | Joey Worthen | South Carolina (asst.) | 4 | 11–35–1 (.245) | 11–35–1 (.245) | 6–17–0 (.261) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kentucky | Johan Cedergren | Dartmouth | 9 | 141–77–34 (.627) | 89–47–20 (.635) | 39–16–9 (.680) | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Marshall | Chris Grassie | Charleston (WV) | 4 | 131–42–15 (.737) | 32–22–7 (.582) | 11–9–3 (.543) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Old Dominion | Alan Dawson | North Carolina (asst.) | 24 | 376–177–52 (.664) | 247–147–42 (.615) | 29–22–4 (.564) | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| South Carolina | Mark Berson | The Citadel | 42 | 514–259–75 (.650) | 503–254–75 (.650) | 55–47–19 (.533) | 22 | 3 | 0 |
| UAB | Jeff Kinney | Virginia Tech (asst.) | 2 | 3–12–2 (.235) | 3–12–2 (.235) | 1–5–1 (.214) | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Preseason
### Preseason poll

The preseason poll was released on January 27, 2021.
| | Team Ranking |
| 1 | Marshall |
| 2 | Kentucky |
| 3 | Charlotte |
| 4 | FIU |
| 5 | Florida Atlantic |
| 6 | South Carolina |
| 7 | UAB |
| 8 | Old Dominion |

### Preseason national rankings

The preseason national rankings were to be announced in August 2020, but were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Only CollegeSoccerNews.com released a fall preseason poll.
| | United Soccer | CSN | Soccer America | TopDrawer Soccer |
| Charlotte | — | — | — | — |
| FIU | — | — | — | — |
| Florida Atlantic | — | — | — | — |
| Kentucky | — | — | — | — |
| Marshall | — | — | — | — |
| Old Dominion | — | — | — | — |
| South Carolina | — | — | — | — |
| UAB | — | — | — | — |

### Preseason All-Conference teams

| Honor | Recipient |
| Preseason Offensive Player of the Year | Milo Yosef, Marshall |
| Preseason Defensive Player of the Year | Patrick Hogan, Charlotte |

#### Preseason All-AAC Team

* 2020 C-USA Men's Soccer Preseason Team
* First Team
* Joe Brito – Charlotte
* Patrick Hogan – Charlotte
* Luke Johnson – Charlotte
* Alessandro Campoy – FIU
* Alonso Coello Camarero – Florida Atlantic
* Ivan Mykhailenko – Florida Atlantic
* Enrique Facusse – Kentucky
* Marcel Meinzer – Kentucky
* Pedro Dolabella – Marshall
* Jan-Erik Leinhos – Marshall
* Milo Yosef – Marshall

## Fall 2020 season
### Matches

Kentucky, South Carolina, and UAB played competitive matches during the fall.
* Index to colors and formatting
* CUSA member won
* CUSA member lost
* CUSA member tied
* CUSA teams in bold
All times Eastern time.
| Date | Time (ET) | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| September 17 | 7:00 p.m. | Kentucky | Notre Dame | Alumni Stadium • Notre Dame, IN | L 0–1 | 1 |
| September 19 | 2:00 p.m. | UAB | Central Arkansas | Bill Stephens Stadium • Conway, AR | W 3–2 | 105 |
| September 19 | 7:00 p.m. | Georgia Southern | South Carolina | Eugene Stone Stadium • Columbia, SC | W 2–0 | 100 |
| September 21 | 7:00 p.m. | Duke | Kentucky | Bell Soccer Complex • Lexington, KY | W 4–2 | 95 |
| September 24 | 7:00 p.m. | Georgia State | South Carolina | Eugene Stone Stadium • Columbia, SC | L 1–3 | 320 |
| September 26 | 6:00 p.m. | UAB | Georgia Southern | Eagle Field • Statesboro, GA | L 2–3 | 266 |
| September 28 | 7:30 p.m. | Kentucky | Louisville | Bell Soccer Complex • Lexington, KY | W 3–1 | 115 |
| September 30 | 4:00 p.m. | UAB | Georgia State | GSU Soccer Field • Atlanta, GA | L 0–4 | 214 |
| October 1 | 7:00 p.m. | Clemson | South Carolina | Eugene Stone Stadium • Columbia, SC | L 0–3 | 460 |
| October 2 | 3:00 p.m. | No. 4 Kentucky | Central Arkansas | Bell Soccer Complex • Lexington, KY | W 2–1 (OT) | 83 |
| October 5 | 5:00 p.m. | UAB | No. 3 Clemson | Riggs Field • Clemson, SC | L 0–2 | 748 |
| October 10 | 6:00 p.m. | South Carolina | Mercer | Betts Stadium • Macon, GA | W 1–0 | 116 |
| October 10 | 6:00 p.m. | UAB | No. 1 Wake Forest | Spry Stadium • Winston-Salem, NC | L 0–3 | 0 |
| October 13 | 7:00 p.m. | Georgia State | UAB | BBVA Field • Birmingham, AL | L 1–4 | 195 |
| October 14 | 7:00 p.m. | Mercer | No. 4 Kentucky | Bell Soccer Complex • Lexington, KY | W 3–1 | 97 |
| October 17 | 7:00 p.m. | UAB | Kentucky | Bell Soccer Complex • Lexington, KY | UK 2–0 | 144 |
| October 20 | 7:00 p.m. | Georgia Southern | UAB | BBVA Field • Birmingham, AL | Cancelled | Cancelled |
| October 24 | 7:00 p.m. | UAB | South Carolina | Eugene Stone Stadium • Columbia, SC | Cancelled | Cancelled |
| October 28 | 3:00 p.m. | Central Arkansas | UAB | BBVA Field • Birmingham, AL | Cancelled | Cancelled |
| October 30 | 7:00 p.m. | Kentucky | Duke | Bell Soccer Complex • Lexington, KY | Cancelled | Cancelled |

### Rankings
#### United Soccer Coaches

During the fall 2020 season, United Soccer Coaches ran a Top 5 poll for the programs playing in fall.
| | Improvement in ranking |
| | Drop in ranking |
| RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 5 |
| NV | No votes received |
| | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 |
| Kentucky | NV | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| South Carolina | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |
| UAB | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV | NV |

### Awards and honors

| Date | Player | Position | School | Honor |
| September 22, 2020 | Brian Banahan | FW | South Carolina | TopDrawer Soccer Team of the Week |
| September 22, 2020 | Joseph Buete | MF | UAB | TopDrawer Soccer Team of the Week |
| September 22, 2020 | Sekou Soumah | DF | South Carolina | TopDrawer Soccer Team of the Week |

## Spring 2021 season
### Positions by round

* Team ╲ Round
* FIU
* Marshall
* Charlotte
* Kentucky
* Old Dominion
* UAB
* South Carolina
* Florida Atlantic
* 2020 Conference USA Men's Soccer Tournament semifinals
* 2020 Conference USA Men's Soccer Tournament quarterfinals
* Eliminated

### Matches
#### Preseason exhibitions

| Date | Time (ET) | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| January 23 | 5:00 p.m. | FIU | UCF | UCF Soccer and Track Stadium • Orlando, FL | W 2–0 | 0 |
| January 30 | 2:00 p.m. | Liberty | Charlotte | Transamerica Field • Charlotte, NC | T 1–1 | 0 |
| January 30 | 5:00 p.m. | FIU | South Florida | Corbett Soccer Stadium • Tampa, FL | W 2–0 | 0 |
| January 30 | 5:00 p.m. | UAB | Lipscomb | Lipscomb Soccer Complex • Nashville, TN | T 1-1 | 87 |
| February 2 | 6:00 p.m. | Charlotte | Davidson | Alumni Soccer Stadium • Davidson, NC | Cancelled | Cancelled |
| February 3 | 7:00 p.m. | Lander | South Carolina | Stone Stadium • Columbia, SC | L 0–1 | 0 |
| February 5 | 3:00 p.m. | Bellarmine | Kentucky | Bell Soccer Complex • Lexington, KY | Cancelled | Cancelled |
| February 6 | 7:00 p.m. | Montevallo | UAB | BBVA Field • Birmingham, AL | W 1-5 | 196 |

#### Week 1 (Feb. 3 – Feb. 7)

| Date | Time (ET) | Visiting team | Home team | Site | Result | Attendance |
| February 3 | 5:00 p.m. | VCU | Marshall | Hoops Family Field • Huntington, WV | Postponed | Postponed |
| February 3 | 6:00 p.m. | North Florida | Florida Atlantic | FAU Soccer Stadium • Boca Raton, FL | W 1–0 | 120 |
| February 6 | 2:00 p.m. | Old Dominion | VCU | Sports Backers Stadium • Richmond, VA | Postponed | Postponed |
| February 7 | 2:00 p.m. | FIU | Jacksonville | Southern Oak Stadium • Jacksonville, FL | Postponed | Postponed |
| February 7 | 5:00 p.m. | North Florida | South Carolina | Stone Stadium • Columbia, SC | | |
| February 9 | 3:00 p.m. | Xavier | Kentucky | Bell Soccer Complex • Lexington, KY | W 1-2 Archived February 10, 2021, at the Wayback Machine | 56 |

#### Week 2 (Feb. 8 – Feb. 14)

| Date | Time (ET) | Visiting team | Home team | Site |
| February 12 | 6:00 p.m. | Charlotte | Duke | Koskinen Stadium • Durham, NC |
| February 13 | 1:00 p.m. | Ohio Valley | Marshall | Hoops Family Field • Huntington, WV |
| February 13 | 3:00 p.m. | Bowling Green | Kentucky | Bell Soccer Complex • Lexington, KY |
| February 14 | 2:00 p.m. | Campbell | Old Dominion | ODU Soccer Complex • Norfolk, VA |
| February 14 | 2:00 p.m. | Winthrop | South Carolina | Stone Stadium • Columbia, SC |

#### Week 3 (Feb. 15 – Feb. 21)

| Date | Time (ET) | Visiting team | Home team | Site |
| February 16 | 2:00 p.m. | Lipscomb | Marshall | Hoops Family Field • Huntington, WV |
| February 16 | 7:00 p.m. | Central Arkansas | UAB | BBVA Field • Birmingham, AL |
| February 17 | 7:00 p.m. | Florida Gulf Coast | FIU | FIU Soccer Stadium • Miami, FL |
| February 17 | 7:00 p.m. | USC Upstate | South Carolina | Stone Stadium • Columbia, SC |
| February 19 | 2:00 p.m. | Kentucky | Duke | Koskinen Stadium • Durham, NC |
| February 19 | 3:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | Jacksonville | Southern Oak Stadium • Jacksonville, FL |
| February 19 | 4:00 p.m. | West Virginia Tech | Marshall | Hoops Family Field • Huntington, WV |
| February 20 | 2:00 p.m. | West Virginia | Charlotte | Transamerica Field • Charlotte, NC |
| February 20 | 2:00 p.m. | George Mason | Old Dominion | ODU Soccer Complex • Norfolk, VA |
| February 20 | 6:00 p.m. | UAB | NC State | Dail Soccer Field • Raleigh, NC |
| February 20 | 7:00 p.m. | FIU | North Florida | Hodges Stadium • Jacksonville, FL |
| February 21 | 6:00 p.m. | South Carolina | Furman | Stone Stadium • Greenville, SC |

#### Week 4 (Feb. 22 – Feb. 28)

| Date | Time (ET) | Visiting team | Home team | Site |
| February 23 | 2:00 p.m. | ETSU | Marshall | Hoops Family Field • Huntington, WV |
| February 24 | 7:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | Florida Gulf Coast | FGCU Soccer Complex • Fort Myers, FL |
| February 25 | 4:00 p.m. | Akron | Kentucky | Bell Soccer Complex • Lexington, KY |
| February 27 | 2:00 p.m. | Wofford | South Carolina | Stone Stadium • Columbia, SC |
| February 27 | 3:00 p.m. | Bowling Green | Marshall | Hoops Family Field • Huntington, WV |
| February 28 | 1:00 p.m. | Old Dominion | William & Mary | Albert–Daly Field • Williamsburg, VA |

#### Week 5 (Mar. 1 – Mar. 7)

| Date | Time (ET) | Visiting team | Home team | Site |
| March 2 | 3:00 p.m. | Marshall | Akron | FirstEnergy Stadium • Akron, OH |
| March 6 | TBA | Charlotte | Kentucky | Bell Soccer Complex • Lexington, KY |
| March 6 | 2:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | FIU | FIU Soccer Stadium • Miami, FL |
| March 6 | 2:00 p.m. | Marshall | South Carolina | Stone Stadium • Columbia, SC |
| March 6 | 3:00 p.m. | Old Dominion | UAB | BBVA Field • Birmingham, AL |

#### Week 6 (Mar. 8 – Mar. 14)

| Date | Time (ET) | Visiting team | Home team | Site |
| March 13 | 12:00 p.m. | FIU | Marshall | Hoops Family Field • Huntington, WV |
| March 13 | 2:00 p.m. | UAB | Charlotte | Transamerica Field • Charlotte, NC |
| March 13 | 2:00 p.m. | Kentucky | Florida Atlantic | FAU Soccer Stadium • Boca Raton, FL |
| March 14 | 2:00 p.m. | South Carolina | Old Dominion | ODU Soccer Complex • Norfolk, VA |

#### Week 7 (Mar. 15 – Mar. 21)

| Date | Time (ET) | Visiting team | Home team | Site |
| March 18 | 7:00 p.m. | Marshall | Kentucky | Bell Soccer Complex • Lexington, KY |
| March 20 | 1:00 p.m. | UAB | FIU | FIU Soccer Stadium • Miami, FL |
| March 20 | 2:00 p.m. | Charlotte | South Carolina | Stone Stadium • Columbia, SC |
| March 21 | 10:00 a.m. | Florida Atlantic | Old Dominion | ODU Soccer Complex • Norfolk, VA |

#### Week 8 (Mar. 22 – Mar. 28)

| Date | Time (ET) | Visiting team | Home team | Site |
| March 24 | 3:00 p.m. | Marshall | West Virginia | Dick Dlesk Stadium • Morgantown, WV |
| March 27 | 2:00 p.m. | FIU | Charlotte | Transamerica Field • Charlotte, NC |
| March 27 | 2:00 p.m. | South Carolina | Florida Atlantic | FAU Soccer Stadium • Boca Raton, FL |
| March 27 | 2:00 p.m. | Old Dominion | Marshall | Hoops Family Field • Huntington, WV |
| March 27 | 3:00 p.m. | Kentucky | UAB | BBVA Field • Birmingham, AL |

#### Week 9 (Mar. 29 – Apr. 4)

| Date | Time (ET) | Visiting team | Home team | Site |
| March 30 | TBA | Charlotte | Coastal Carolina | CCU Soccer Stadium • Conway, SC |
| April 3 | 2:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | Marshall | Hoops Family Field • Huntington, WV |
| April 3 | 2:00 p.m. | UAB | South Carolina | Stone Stadium • Columbia, SC |
| April 3 | 6:00 p.m. | Kentucky | FIU | FIU Soccer Stadium • Miami, FL |
| April 4 | 2:00 p.m. | Charlotte | Old Dominion | ODU Soccer Complex • Norfolk, VA |

#### Week 10 (Apr. 5 – Apr. 11)

| Date | Time (ET) | Visiting team | Home team | Site |
| April 10 | 11:00 a.m. | Old Dominion | Kentucky | Bell Soccer Complex • Lexington, KY |
| April 10 | 12:00 p.m. | South Carolina | FIU | FIU Soccer Stadium • Miami, FL |
| April 10 | 2:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic | Charlotte | Transamerica Field • Charlotte, NC |
| April 10 | 2:00 p.m. | Marshall | UAB | BBVA Field • Birmingham, AL |

#### Week 11 (Apr. 12 – Apr. 18)

| Date | Time (ET) | Visiting team | Home team | Site |
| April 17 | 2:00 p.m. | UAB | Florida Atlantic | FAU Soccer Stadium • Boca Raton, FL |
| April 17 | 2:00 p.m. | Charlotte | Marshall | Hoops Family Field • Huntington, WV |
| April 17 | 2:00 p.m. | FIU | Old Dominion | ODU Soccer Complex • Norfolk, VA |
| April 17 | 2:00 p.m. | Kentucky | South Carolina | Stone Stadium • Columbia, SC |

## Postseason
### NCAA Tournament

| Seed | School | 1st Round | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Championship |
| — | Marshall | BYE | W 2–1 (OT) vs. Fordham – (Wilson, NC) | T 1–1 (7–6 PKs) vs. #1 Clemson – (Cary, NC) | W 1–0 vs. #8 Georgetown – (Cary, NC) | W 1–0 vs. North Carolina – (Cary, NC) | W 1–0 (OT) vs. #3 Indiana – (Cary, NC) |
| — | Kentucky | BYE | W 2–0 vs. New Hampshire – (Browns Summit NC) | L 1–2 vs. #5 Wake Forest – (Cary, NC) | | | |
| — | Charlotte | BYE | T 1–1 (1–4 PKs) vs. North Carolina – (Cary, NC) | | | | |
| | W–L (%): | 0–0–0 (–) | 2–0–1 (.833) | 0–1–1 (.250) | 1–0–0 (1.000) | 1–0–0 (1.000) | 1–0–0 (1.000) Total: 5–1–2 (.750) |

## MLS SuperDraft

The MLS SuperDraft was held on January 21, 2021 and was held virtually through its website.

### Total picks by school

| Team | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Comp. | Total |
| Charlotte | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FIU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Florida Atlantic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kentucky | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Marshall | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Old Dominion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Carolina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UAB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |

### List of selections

| Round | Pick # | MLS team | Player | Position | College | Ref |
| 1 | 26 | Inter Miami | Aimé Mabika | DF | Kentucky | |
| 3 | 77 | Sporting Kansas City | Jamil Roberts | FW | Marshall | |