2019 Men's Soccer Season: Here's what's on the horizon
8/14/2019 5:26:00 PM | Men's Soccer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – (Buy Tickets) (Schedule) (2019 Media Guide) The 2019 Kansas City Men's Soccer season is within striking distance, as the Roos are set to take on Rockhurst University this Saturday, Aug. 17th at 7:30 p.m. The match is the Roos' first of three exhibition games this season. A sell-out crowd is expected at Durwood Soccer Stadium. Last year, nearly 2,500 fans were in attendance, well above the 850 capacity. Head Coach Rick Benben is excited to see his brand new squad in action.
“There will be a huge crowd and it's a really competitive game. You will see a lot of players, most of them new players. This will give me a chance to see what all the players can do in a really good environment at home."
If you can't attend the match on Saturday, the only way to stay updated will be live updates on Kansas City's Men's Soccer twitter page @KCRoosMSoccer
This season will be the Roos' 33rd season competing in collegiate varsity soccer and the final year in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), as the Roos will switch over to the Summit League next year.
Kansas City will have an abundance of new faces on the pitch this season with 18 newcomers (two transfers and 16 incoming freshman). The Roos lost 14 players at the conclusion of last season, nine graduating seniors and five transfers. Coach Benben, who is in his 22nd year with Kansas City Men's Soccer, had this to say about the roster turnover.
“This is unquestionably the biggest group of new players that I've brought in since I've been here. It's a really talented group of players with a combination of speed and technical abilities.”
The Roos still have a strong nucleus of experience in the back and in the net to help guide the new players. “We have six players who started regularly that are returning. All in the back and the defense,” coach Benben said. “The rest of the team, primarily in the attack, are all new players.”
The six returning players that were starters last season include: Giacomo Caruso, Antoine Precheur, David Ray-Campoy, Jordan Salt, Filippo Errico, and Alvaro Hernando.
Last season, with an overall record of 5-12, the Roos are striving to improve and sit further atop the conference standings.
The Kansas City Men's Soccer team head into their seventh and final season in the WAC, having arrived in 2013. Because this is the last season in the WAC, coach Benben wants his squad to give their best each game. “We want to leave the WAC at the top of the conference for the first time or near the top of the conference. That's certainly our ambition.”
After the exhibition match against Rockhurst, the squad is off and running with two more exhibition games and six non-conference games from late August to late September. Coach Benben's hope is that these games will better prepare the squad to tackle the 11-straight conference games in late September through early November.
The first round of the WAC tournament will be held Nov. 13th in Colorado Springs, Colo., and the first round of the NCAA Championships will be held Nov. 21st at participating schools' campus-sites.
So, come out to support this young, electrifying squad that is hungry to make Roos Men's Soccer a top contender this season.
