MIAMI – Ahead of the 2026 men's soccer season, a trio of Panthers — forwards Pasquale Capriati, Johan Helan and defender Alfonso Gilleard-Soriano were named to the American Preseason All-Conference Team, as announced by the league office Tuesday morning.

Entering his senior season, Capriati returns to the Panthers after appearing in 17 matches and making 11 starts in 2025. The Altamura, Italy, native tallied four goals, the second-most on the team, along with three assists and 10 shots on goal. Capriati opened the 2025 campaign with a goal and an assist against Omaha and recorded two game-winning goals while playing 771 minutes.

Helan enters his sophomore campaign after earning a spot on the American All-Freshman Team following a strong debut season in 2025. The Saint-Denis, France, native ranked third on the team with three goals while appearing in all 19 matches and making 17 starts. He logged 1,273 minutes and ranked second on the team with 20 total shots, including 11 on goal.

Gilleard-Soriano is expected to be a key contributor on the Panthers' backline in 2026 following a standout sophomore season. The Panama native appeared in 18 of FIU's 19 matches, making 17 starts, while leading the team with 1,498 minutes played. He registered 14 shots, including one goal and one assist, and played the full 90 minutes or more in 12 matches. Gilleard-Soriano also delivered a crucial game-winning goal in FIU's 1-0 victory over Missouri State in the 2025 American Conference quarterfinals.

In addition to the three preseason All-Conference selections, FIU was picked to finish fifth in the American Conference preseason poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches.

2026 American Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll 
1.           Charlotte (5)                 56
2.           Florida Atlantic (3)        54
3.           South Florida (1)          49
4.           Missouri State              40
5.           FIU                               38
6.           Tulsa                            28
7.           UAB                              27
8.           Memphis                       24
9.           Temple                          8
(#) denotes first place votes 
 
Preseason Offensive Players of the Year 
Humphrey Doh, Sr., F, UAB
Natsuki Ogata, Sr., F, Charlotte
 
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year 
Samuel Manufor, So., Charlotte
 
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year 
Alfred Mikkelsen, Sr., Florida Atlantic
 
Preseason All-Conference 
Humphrey Doh, Sr., F, UAB
Ole Jessen, Jr., D, UAB*
Samuel Manufor, So., D, Charlotte*
James Nyandjo, So., D, Charlotte
Natsuki Ogata, Sr., F, Charlotte
Alfred Mikkelsen, Sr., GK, Florida Atlantic
David Roberts, Jr., D, Florida Atlantic
Felipe Santos, Sr., M, Florida Atlantic
Pasquale Capriati, Sr., F, FIU
Alfonso Gilleard-Soriano, Jr., D, FIU
Johan Helan, So., F, FIU
Miller Lashlee, So., F, Memphis
Eben McIntyre, R-Sr., M, Memphis
Pedro Faife, Sr., M, South Florida*
Jared Aguilar, R-Jr., M, Tulsa
 
* denotes unanimous selection 
 
BAPTIST HEALTH
The 2026 FIU men's soccer season is presented by Baptist Health, The Official Sports Medicine Provider of FIU Athletics

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