The FIU men's soccer team is coming off one of its best seasons in program history.

The Panthers won the American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships in their first year in the conference and made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, but that is not enough for head coach Kyle Russell and the team.
 
"Our goal is always to win three trophies," said Russell. "And we have three trophies. They have just been divided across seasons. What we want is the three trophies in one season! The guys are dissatisfied with what we were able to accomplish last season and they want more."
 
FIU has won its conference two years in a row and have proven themselves a force to be reckoned with in The American, but there is still something to prove on the national scene.
 
"This is the first time that we have been voted preseason number one in our conference," added Russell. "We are grateful for that but, we know that being ranked first in the preseason poll means nothing. We have proven that two years in a row."
 
"We know we have to win our conference regular season and conference tournament," said Russell. "But the big picture for us is that people think there are 20 teams better than us and that motivates us. Our goal is to make sure we don't leave any doubt in anyone's mind that we aren't the 21st best team in the country."
 
Coach Russell believes that this Panthers team has the tools to accomplish the goals that he has set for the program and a big part of that is the depth of his squad.
 
"Our depth is fantastic," exclaimed Russell. "It is going to be challenging when it comes to man management but that is a great problem to have. We believe we have 21 starters and are two deep at every position."
 
"We talk about 'many hands make light work' and we feel that we have many strong hands in our locker room that will help share the burdens that the season offers."
 
Coach Russell and his staff saw some of the best players in program history move on to the pros this offseason but, they brought in 12 new players with eight transferring from top programs from around the country. It is this high level of skill and experience that Russell feels will make this season's team special.
 
"A lot of people say we lost a lot of good players, which is true, but we do things differently than most schools," said Russell. "We don't rebuild, we reload."
 
"All of our transfers were starters at other good programs from across the country. Our average age is higher than most college soccer teams so we are going to be relying on the talent and maturity of our squad."
 
"We will miss the guys from last year but, we are excited that we have always been able to evolve and change what we do a little bit and add to the strong culture that we have built."
 
Bringing this many new players comes with its own set of challenges but, they are ones Russell and his staff have faced before.
 
"The challenge is in front of us and we have a lot of work to do," said Russell. "We need to bridge some language gaps and get the new guys integrated into our system but that is our challenge every year."
 
"We are Florida 'International' so we recruit all over the world, so one of our biggest challenges is to get guys from 14 different countries who speak 10 different languages to all operate in unison."
 
Adding to an already experienced squad is the return of multiple key players that will help bridge the gap between the new crop and the old guard.
 
"Yushi Nagao, Philip Hildebrandt, Tyler Hogan and even third year guys like Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro and Edgar Aguilar offer great experience," added Russell. "They are guys that the staff can lean on."
 
"Those guys are invaluable. They know the referees, they know how to handle the travel, they know how to manage their time. Their experience is fantastic."
 
The Panthers are set to face their toughest schedule yet in 2023, which is exactly what Russell wants.
 
"This is my philosophy that is embedded in me," added Russell "If someone thinks they are good I want to show them that we are better. Anyone that has a strong RPI or ranking that wants to schedule us we are about it."
 
"On paper it is the hardest schedule we have had yet and that is the trajectory of our scheduling. Every year we want a harder schedule. And now our conference is a top three conference in the country in men's soccer."
 
"We have been saying it for three years now, 'Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere,' so it is the same thing this season. Every team we play, every team we beat, I want to make sure they know who we are and that we are the real deal."
 
Though there are many challenges facing the Panthers, Russell firmly believes that his team is ready to step up and face them head on.
 
"We have a brave, fearless group that likes to be challenged," exclaimed Russell. "They don't care about the name on the shirt that is in front of them, just the name that is on their shirt and representing it well."
 
"We still have a lot to prove and a lot of respect to earn. For us the big picture is that we have to win every game, one game at a time."
 
"We know our goals and we know that we are very close but, the margins are so fine that we need to always focus on what we can control and take things one day at a time."
 
FIU's title defense begins Thursday, August 24 as the Panthers hit the road to take on Oregon State.
 
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