KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Aug. 26, 2021) – Junior forwards Victor Bezerra of Indiana University and Valentin Noel of the University of Pittsburgh, headline the list of 44 players named to the 2021 Men’s Hermann Trophy Watch List. Both players were 2020-21 finalists for the prestigious award presented annually to the nation’s NCAA Division I soccer player of the year. Today marks the first official day of regular season play for the nation’s Division I men’s programs.
Bezerra and Noel join 11 other semifinalists from last year that are returning to play this fall, including senior midfielder Vitor Dias from defending national champion Marshall University and midfielder Noah Jensen, the nation’s assist leader a year ago for Oakland University. Several of the players on this fall’s watch list are returning for their fifth collegiate season after taking advantage of the NCAA decision to grant an additional season of competition for student-athletes following the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic during the 2020-21 academic year.
Other 2020-21 Hermann Trophy semifinalists on the list are midfielders Noel Caliskan, Loyola Marymount, Dante Polvara, Georgetown University and Dylan Teves of the University of Washington. Three other forwards named from the spring 2021 semifinalists are MD Myers of High Point University, Zach Ryan from Stanford and Marquette’s Lukas Sunesson. Three defenders from last spring’s semifinalists include two-time All-American Kyle Hiebert of Missouri State, University of New Hampshire back Bridger Hansen and Jasper Löeffelsend from NCAA semifinalist team Pittsburgh. In total, 25 of the 44 players were United Soccer Coaches All-Americans last spring.
The Hermann Trophy, presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club, is the nation’s highest individual honor recognizing the nation’s National Player of the Year. Division I coaches who are members of the United Soccer Coaches College Services program vote for the award.
Fifteen players are named Hermann Trophy semifinalists on Nov. 30 following United Soccer Coaches Division I All-America voting after the regular season. A final round of voting names three finalists on Dec. 15. The 2021 winner is announced on Jan. 7, 2022, in a ceremony at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, Mo.
United Soccer Coaches
2021 Men’s Hermann Trophy Watch List
| Name | Yr. | Pos. | School | Hometown |
| Victor Bezerra | Jr. | F | Indiana University | Chicago, Ill. |
| Danny Bloyou | Sr. | F | Penn State University | Accra, Ghana |
| Noel Caliskan | Jr. | M | Loyola Marymount University | Cologne, Germany |
| Roman Celentano | Jr. | K | Indiana University | Naperville, Ill. |
| Luca Dahn | Sr. | D | Seton Hall University | Kahl, Germany |
| Vitor Dias | Sr. | M | Marshall University | Brasilia, Brazil |
| Josh Dolling | Grad | M | Missouri State University | Liverpool, England |
| Spencer Glass | Grad | D | Indiana University | Fort Wayne, Ind. |
| Bridger Hansen | Grad | D | University of New Hampshire | Cottonwood Heights, Utah |
| Nick Hazel | Sr. | D | Lafayette College | Roebling, N.J. |
| Kyle Heibert | Grad | D | Missouri State University | La Salle, Man. |
| Noah Jensen | Grad | M | Oakland University | Courtice, Ont. |
| Hugo Kametani | Sr. | F | University of Nebraska-Omaha | Kashima, Japan |
| Yanis Leerman | Sr. | D | University of Central Florida | Troyes, France |
| Jasper Löeffelsend | Grad | D | University of Pittsburgh | Cologne, Germany |
| MD Myers | Jr. | F | High Point University | Delran, N.J. |
| Alex Nagy | Sr. | M | University Of Vermont | Bow, N.H. |
| Giannis Nikopolidis | Sr. | K | Georgetown University | Athens, Greece |
| Valentin Noel | Jr. | F | University of Pittsburgh | Niort, France |
| Charlie Ostrem | Sr. | D | University of Washington | Shoreline, Wash. |
| Dante Polvara | Jr. | M | Georgetown University | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| Justin Rasmussen | Grad | D | Grand Canyon University | Pleasantville, N.Y. |
| Pierre Reedy | Sr. | M | Penn State University | Kutztown, Pa. |
| Zach Ryan | Sr. | F | Stanford University | Chatham, N.J. |
| Lukas Sunesson | Sr. | F | Marquette University | Taby, Sweden |
| Dylan Teves | Sr | M | University of Washington | Kailua, Hawaii |
| CJ Tibbling | Sr | F | Seton Hall University | Jarna, Sweden |
| Fridtjof Andberg | Sr. | D | Long Island University | Lillehammer, Norway |
| Melker Anshelm | Sr. | D | James Madison University | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Dylan Borczak | Grad | M | Oakland University | Detroit, Mich. |
| Sebastian Chalbaud | Sr. | M | High Point University | Valencia, Venezuela |
| Sofiane Djeffal | Sr. | M | Oregon State University | Nantes, France |
| Chris Donovan | Sr. | F | Drexel University | Paoli, Pa. |
| Noah Egan | Jr. | D | University Of Vermont | Irvine, Calif. |
| Jacob Graiber | Grad | D | University of Illinois-Chicago | Plainfield, Ill. |
| Paolo Gratton | Sr. | M | University Of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Madison, Wis. |
| Billy Hency | Sr. | M | Loyola University Chicago | Fenton, Mo. |
| Liam Johnson | Sr. | M | University of Denver | Golden, Colo. |
| Marcos Kitromilides | Sr. | F | Lafayette College | Nicosia, Cyprus |
| Nico Molina | Grad | F | University of North Carolina-Wilmington | Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Franck Momo | Sr. | D | Campbell University | Paris, France |
| Harald Sollund | Sr. | D | St. Francis College (Brooklyn) | Viken, Norway |
| George Tasouris | Grad | K | University of Portland | Nicosia, Cyprus |
| Gino Vivi | Jr. | M | University of Central Florida | San Jose, Costa Rica |
About the Missouri Athletic Club
Located in St. Louis, Mo., the Missouri Athletic Club has been presenting college soccer’s player of the year awards since 1986. The MAC was established in 1903 as an athletic, dining and social club. It has a “Platinum Club of America” status, which is awarded to the top private clubs in the country. To learn more about the Missouri Athletic Club, go to mac-stl.org.