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The TDS Men's college soccer preview continues with a look into the A10, Summit, MVC, & Big West.

Atlantic 10 Conference Preview

The A10 is arguably the most underrated conference in college soccer. Programs like Saint Louis and Dayton have habitually churned out pro prospects in recent years, while Duquesne, Loyola-Chicago, and VCU represent rising powers. The challenge in predicting the conference is that with 14 teams, the schedule never includes the entirety, so sometimes a lucky break in which league opponents you play could have an outsized impact on who builds valuable momentum and reaches the NCAA tournament. Ahead of another promising A10 season, expect Saint Louis, boasting the number 1 ranked recruting class in the entire country, Dayton, Loyola Chicago, and Duquesne to battle for the conference crown.

Top Freshmen to Watch:

Carlos Leatherman, Saint Louis (#63 Ranked TDS Class of 2023)

Matteo Piccardo, Rhode Island (Italy U19)

Grant Bailey, Loyola-Chicago (#194 Ranked TDS Class of 2023)

Braden Seel, Dayton ($12 Ranked TDS Heartland Region)

Jack Jennings, Duquesne (#23 Ranked TDS Great Lakes Region)

Top Players to Watch:

Christian Buendia, Saint Louis

Basit Umar, Dayton

Maxi Hopfer, Duquesne

Alec Hughes, Massachusetts

Julian Cisneros, Loyola-Chicago

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Summit League Preview

The Summit League was a mixed bag last season. On one end, Oral Roberts and Denver represented truly quality programs, while on the other, five of its nine teams won 3 total games or less, crashing down the RPI value of the league. But, with three of those bottom five teams finding a new home in the newly created Ohio Valley Conference, the Summit League could suddenly be among the most competitive in the region, with programs like UMKC and Omaha showing they have every potential to pull off an upset or two.

*Lindenwood, Eastern Illinois, and Southern Indiana leave for the Ohio Valley Conference

Top Freshmen to Watch:

Tyler Schommer, Denver (#94 Ranked TDS Class of 2023)

Gage Daniels, Omaha (#10 Ranked TDS Heartland Region)

Brice Middleton, UMKC

Tommy Kniser, St. Thomas (Minn.)

Diego Porras, Western Illinois

Top Players to Watch:

Ronan Wynne, Denver

Reed Berry, Oral Roberts

Christian Koffi, UMKC

Gonzalo Cuevas, Omaha

Kyle Owen, Western Illinois

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Missouri Valley Conference Preview

In another example of a conference that adds multiple quality programs, the Missouri Valley gets stronger with Bowling Green, Western Michigan, and Northern Illinois joining, who all reached the NCAA tournament in the last few years. That will be bitter-sweet for the dominant kings of the conference Missouri State, who have not lost a league game since 2020. Bitter in that they will face a better challenge than ever to win the conference, sweet in that advanced league competition is ideal for preparing for an NCAA tournament run. The Missouri Valley is one to watch this season.

*Bowling Green, Western Michigan, and Northern Illinois join the MVC from the Mid-American conference.

Top Freshmen to Watch:

Carlos Nevarez, UIC (#126 Ranked TDS Class of 2023)

Aleksander Markovski, Western Michigan (#193 Ranked TDS Class of 2023)

Harris O’Connor, Missouri State (Scotland Youth National Teams)

Barrett Kitts, Drake (#15 Ranked TDS Heartland Region)

Samuel Divis, Northern Illinois (#23 Ranked TDS Great Lakes Region)

Top Players to Watch:

Brendan Graves, Bowling Green

Charlie Sharp, Western Michigan

Jesus Barea, Missouri State

Nacho Diaz Barragan, Evansville

Joshua Torres, UIC

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Big West Conference Preview

Another conference that could soon be affected by the demise of the Pac-12, the Big West is arguably the most competitively balanced in college soccer. For example, last season saw six different programs win at least eight games while just three points separated first from fifth place. With no clear favorites heading into another season, the Big West is a must-follow for neutral fans.

Top Freshmen to Watch:

Brady Treinen, UC Irvine (#114 Ranked TDS Class of 2023)

Cyrus Neghabat, Cal Poly (#199 Ranked TDS Class of 2023)

Simon Vaca-Lorenzi, Sacramento State (Gatorade California POTY)

Kaden Standish, UC Santa Barbara (#11 Ranked TDS Northern California & Hawaii Region)

Jackson D’Alessandro, UC Riverside (#34 Ranked TDS Southern California Region)

Top Players to Watch:

Leroy Zeller, UC Santa Barbara

Brendan Clark, UC Riverside

Jamar Ricketts, CSUN

Eddy Berumen, UC Irvine

Austin Wehner, Sacramento State