MIAMI (August 14, 2017) – FIU men's soccer first-year Head Coach Kevin Nylen has announced an impressive signing class of nine student-athletes, including three from Major League Soccer (MLS) Development Academies. The signees are expected to make an impact during the upcoming 2017 season. The group joins Weston FC midfielder Matias Barraza (Doral, Florida/Doral Academy) who signed his NLI in February.
 
"We as a staff are very excited to welcome this class to FIU", said Nylen. "Our staff has worked very hard in the recruitment process with each player and the entire staff deserves to be recognized for their hard work.  We are looking forward to what this group will bring to our program as we move forward."
 
Below is the list of the Panthers' 2017 signees.
 
Juan Agredo | Jr. | M | Houston, Texas | Bellaire High School | Houston Dynamo Academy (Club)
Agredo comes to FIU after playing two seasons at San Jacinto College in Texas … Scored one goal and had an assist during his sophomore season for the Ravens, while starting in all 12 games played … Played with the Houston Dynamo Academy as part of the United States Soccer Development Academy (USSDA).

Jordi Avila| Fr. | D | Hialeah, Fla. | Hialeah Gardens High School | Orlando City SC U18 (Club)
Was the No. 12 prospect coming into his senior year by College Soccer News … Was ranked No. 48 in the IMG Top 150 rankings … Played for the Orlando City Soccer Academy … Was named to the 2016 NSCAA Youth Boys All-South Region Team … Avila was a former U.S. National Team pool player with the U14, U15, U18, U17 and U18 programs.

Mohamed Conde | So. | M | Philadelphia, Pa. | YSC Academy | University of Mobile | Philadelphia Union Soccer Academy (Club)
Played in 15 games for the University of Mobile, getting the starting nod in 11 contests … Scored four goals and had two assists as a freshman for the Rams, and finished the year third on the team in goals scored … Played with the Philadelphia Union Soccer Academy prior to attending Mobile.

Hugo Fauroux | Jr. | GK | Cannes, France | Lycee Bristol | Lake Erie College
Appeared in 16 games for Lake Erie College in 2016, making 15 starts and posting a 7-7-3 record 1,590 minutes played ... Made 61 saves for a .813 save percentage ... Had seven shutouts wins - with five of the seven coming in the first six matches of the season - and had two clean-sheets that resulted in ties ... Was named Great Lakes Intercollegiate Atheltic Conference (GLIAC) Goalkeeper of the Year.

Owen Green | Fr. | D | Miami, Fla. | Doral Academy | Real Miami (Club)
Was named to the All-Florida South Team by Top Drawer Soccer following his senior year at Doral Academy … Attended high school with FIU teammate Matias Barraza … Green played his club soccer with Real Miami.

Jordan Machado | So. | D/M | Juvignac, France | University of Montpellier
Machado has played for the Portugal U17, U18, U19 National Teams.

Simen Olafsen | Jr. | D | Oppegaard, Norway | University of Connecticut
Started all 19 games at center back for UConn in 2016 ... Named All-American Athletic Conference Second Team ... Played for the Norwegian U15, U17 and U19 squads ... Olafsen won a national championship in Norway with the Vaalerenga U17 team.

Teo Papazian | Fr. | F | Miami, Fla. | MAST Academy | Kendall SC (Club)
Was one of the top players at MAST Academy (Maritime and Science Technology Academy) in Key Biscayne, Fla. … Scored 21 goals and recorded four assists in 16 games as a junior at MAST … Played for the Kendall SC in the USSDA.

Gerald Vargas | Sr. | M | San Jose, Costa Rica | VCU | Spartanburg Methodist C.C. | Montverde Academy
Played in 12 games for VCU during the 2016 season, scoring one goal … Attended Spartanburg Methodist C.C. prior to his time with the Rams … Played in 11 games, starting eight, and scored seven goals and recorded four assists for the Pioneers as a sophomore … Prior to Spartanburg, Vargas won back-to-back National Championships in 2013 and 2014 with Montverde Academy.

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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in eight different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including Riccardo Silva Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.