MIAMI (Apr. 22, 2022) - Head men's soccer coach Kyle Russell announced the promotion of Dannie Merida to Associate Head Coach on Friday afternoon, after Merida previously served as assistant coach for two seasons with the Panthers.
"I am very pleased that Dannie's hard work and commitment to FIU has been recognized," said Coach Russell. "Dannie is hands down one of the best assistant coaches in college soccer and a massive reason for our team's success. I've said it many times before but I'll say it again, our players and the South Florida area as a whole are better with Dannie here at FIU. It's a blessing to be able to work alongside Dannie & I hope to keep him, his wife Niki, and their children Gaby & Daniel in South Florida for many years to come.
Merida, a Miami native who graced the pitch as a student-athlete with FIU men's soccer from 2003-2006, became the first hire of head coach Kyle Russell's staff back in March of 2020. Merida owns 13 total years of collegiate coaching experience and in 2021 helped guide the Panthers to one of the program's best seasons ever, which included a 2021 Conference USA Regular Season Championship and a berth to the NCAA Tournament's Round of 32.
"I'd like to first thank Kyle [Russell] and the entire FIU administration for this opportunity and their unconditional support in my role with the men's soccer program," said Coach Merida. "I also want to thank the players for their belief and commitment to our program. Being a part of the coaching staff at my alma mater and in my hometown is a dream come true. I look forward to continuing to add to FIU soccer's rich history and its tradition of success."
In Merida's second year as assistant coach with FIU in 2021, the Panthers earned a 12-2-2 regular-season record an undefeated 7-0-1 mark in C-USA play, while also securing the most points ever (22) in the league standings since joining C-USA. Merida also helped the Panthers defeat a No. 1 ranked opponent for the first time in program history, when FIU downed defending NCAA champion Marshall in the final game of the regular season to claim the league's regular-season title.
Under Merida's guidance, FIU went on to earn an at-large bid as the No. 13 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament and secured a first round bye, marking only the third time in history that FIU has advanced automatically to the Round of 32. During the 2021 regular season, Merida also helped FIU earn a No. 12 national ranking while being Top-25 in national polls for 10 consecutive weeks. The Panthers also achieved their highest RPI ranking (No. 13) since the 2003 season after playing six nationally ranked teams and two additional squads that received votes.
The Panthers posted a perfect 7-0 record at home in 2021, including a dominating 4-1 victory over No. 1 Marshall, a shutout 1-0 win over No. 12 VCU, and a 4-0 clean sheet victory over #RV Charlotte - a program FIU had never beaten since joining C-USA. The Blue & Gold earned the No. 1 seed in the C-USA Tournament after battling in a league field that went on to produce four NCAA Tournament teams (FIU, Kentucky, Marshall, Charlotte), which stood second nationally behind only the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Coach Merida's defensive acumen also helped FIU secure seven shutouts during the 2021 season, marking the program's most clean sheets since the 2003 campaign. FIU also led the country in shot-attempts (17.62) along the way, while also ranking second nationally in shots-on-goal per game (7.75) and Top-25 in several other offensive and defensive categories.
In a season that saw 15 Panther newcomers on only a 30-man roster, Merida helped developed talent that garnered 25 individual player awards throughout the season. Merida helped recruited the 2021 C-USA Freshman of the Year Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro, while FIU also saw 10 All-Conference awards, 4 First Team All C-USA honorees, two C-USA All-Tournament Team members, six C-USA Player of the Week honors, three National Player of the Week honors (Top Drawer Soccer and CollegeSoccerNews.com), and four United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Team members.
Since arriving at FIU in 2020, Merida has helped haul in in two top-ranked recruiting classes, including the No. 16 ranked class in 2020 (Top Drawer Soccer) and the No. 30 class in 2021. At the mid-point of the 2021 season, TopDrawerSoccer.com also ranked three of FIU's newcomers in its Men's Top-100 Freshman list including Dos Santos Monteiro (No. 23), Julian Hodek (No. 69), and Edgar Aguilar (No. 76).
The Blue & Gold own a 16-8-3 overall record since Merida joined the program in 2020, after FIU posted a 4-4-1 mark in the shortened Spring 2021 COVID season. During Merida's first campaign as assistant coach, the Panthers earned six All-CUSA accolades and three C-USA Player of the Week awards.
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