Similar to the women’s Division I season, the big storyline this year is whether or not anyone can catch Stanford.

The three-time national champs face perhaps the greatest test as they seek a fourth straight title. With Tomas Hilliard-Arce, Sam Werner, Corey Baird, Foster Langsdorf and Drew Skundrich among the graduates, the Cardinal lost a lot of talent.

MORE: 2018 College Soccer Preview Content

Plenty of talent returns, seeking to lead their team as far as they can heading into the fall. While professional options limited the number of players coming back to the fold, the Preseason Best XI sides features significant players to watch.

Below is the TopDrawerSoccer Best XI Teams, honoring the best projected players in the upcoming men’s DI campaign.

Men’s Preseason Best XI Teams

First Team

F: Santiago Patino (Florida International), Antonio Bustamante (William & Mary), Andre Shinyashiki (Denver)

M: Brad Dunwell (Wake Forest), Rey Ortiz (Portland), Tucker Bone (Air Force), Sergio Rivas (Seattle)

D: Andrew Gutman (Indiana), Tanner Beason (Stanford), Wouter Verstraaten (Pacific)

GK: Jimmy Hague (Michigan State)

Second Team

F: Benji Michel (Portland), Garrett McLaughlin (SMU), Tate Schmitt (Louisville)

M: Janos Loebe (Fordham), Siad Haji (VCU), Daniel Krutzen (Albany), Manny Perez (NC State)

D: Callum Montgomery (Charlotte), Nathan Aune (Seattle), Jack Hagstrom (Brown)

GK: Rashid Nuhu (Fordham)

Third Team

F: Brandon Guhl (Butler), Mark Forrest (Lehigh), Niklas Brodacki (Central Arkansas)

M: Jakov Basic (Massachusetts-Lowell), Aaron Molloy (Penn State), Amar Sejdic (Maryland), Javi Perez (Pittsburgh)

D: John Nelson (North Carolina), Brendan McDonough (Georgetown), Quentin Pearson (Washington)

GK: Trey Muse (Indiana)

Freshman Team

F: Matt Hundley (UCLA), Simon Becher (Holy Cross), Kyle Holcomb (Wake Forest)

M: Declan McGlynn (Seattle), Seth Kuhn (Duke), John Murphy (Clemson), Jake Arteaga (Portland)

D: Chandler Vaughn (Pittsburgh), Carlo Ritaccio (Akron), Ethan Bartlow (Washington)

GK: Justin Garces (UCLA)

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