South Carolina men’s soccer has new look, new conference and renewed hopes for 2022

South Carolina men’s soccer coach Tony Annan learned a lot about his team and the adjustments to being a head coach at the college level last season.

The Gamecocks finished with a 5-9-2 record in Annan’s first season. He was making the transition from coaching the previous six seasons with Atlanta United of Major League Soccer. He quickly learned professional and college soccer are two different styles of play.

“College soccer has a lot of nuances,” Annan said. “The substitution rules and patterns are a lot different. It can disrupt the game more on the college level. It’s also amazing how fast the season goes. It’s hard to get into the nuts and bolts of teaching. Once the season starts, we travel, play, recover, play — and that leaves about one day for instruction. It’s a restructured work week.”

Annan feels like he has all that figured out as Year 2 begins, and he believes the Gamecocks will be better because of it this season.

New conference and a lot of newcomers

South Carolina played in Conference USA since 2005 but is making the transition to the Sun Belt this year. The Gamecocks were picked to finish fourth in the conference in the preseason voting, behind West Virginia, Marshall and Kentucky.

Annan likes the balance of the new conference and facing new foes. Coastal Carolina is now a conference matchup along with James Madison, Georgia State, Old Dominion and Georgia Southern.

“Being picked to finish fourth in a very strong conference is a compliment,” Annan said. “It’s a great challenge for our program. We aren’t worried about rankings right now. We want to see how the games go and how we can compete in one of the toughest conferences in the country.”

The Gamecocks return 10 players from a season ago but also feature 18 newcomers. Among the new faces, there are five transfers and 13 true freshmen.

South Carolina tied No. 12 Duke 1-1 in an exhibition contest on Aug 13. They tied Gardner-Webb 1-1 in an exhibition Saturday.

“We have a great mix of talent and having 18 newcomers has not been difficult at all,” Annan said. “The older guys have embraced the younger guys. I’m excited to see what they can do together.”

Key Gamecocks to know

▪ Ben Alexander, freshman goalkeeper: Alexander most recently played with the Vancouver Whitecaps’ MLS NextPRO squad. Has a 6-foot-4 frame in goal.

▪ William Nilsson, freshman defender: Nilsson has played the last several years in the Swedish semi-pro league for Eskilsminne IF.

▪ Junior Saint Juste, freshman defender: A native of Haiti, Saint Juste has spent the last two years training with the Atlanta United 2 team in the USL.

▪ Rocky Perez, freshman midfielder: Perez was one of the highest-ranked recruits for the Gamecocks. He was selected to the U.S. Youth National Team player pool.

▪ Ethan Dekal Daks, freshman midfielder: Dekel Daks plays an aggressive midfield. He last played for the Nottingham Forest Academy.

▪ Peter Clement, junior forward: Was a second-team Conference USA selection last year. He tied for the team lead in goals (4), assists (3) and points (11).

SOUTH CAROLINA MEN’S SOCCER 2022 SCHEDULE

Thursday: at Ohio State (Wolstein Classic), 7 p.m.

Sunday: at Dayton (at Wolstein Classic), noon

Sept 2: home vs. Clemson, 7 p.m.

Sept 6: home vs. USC Upstate, 7 p.m.

Sept 9: home vs. Winthrop, 7 p.m.

Sept 13: at UNC-Wilmington, 7 p.m.

Sept 17: home vs. Campbell, 7 p.m.

Sept 20: home vs. Queens University of Charlotte, 7 p.m.

Sept 24: home vs. Georgia Southern, 7 p.m.

Oct 1: at West Virginia, 7 p.m.

Oct 8: home vs. Marshall, 7 p.m.

Oct 14: at Coastal Carolina, 7 p.m.

Oct 19: at Old Dominion, 7 p.m.

Oct 23: home vs. James Madison, 3 p.m.

Oct 28: at Georgia State, 7 p.m.

Nov 1: home vs. Kentucky, 7 p.m.

Nov 6-13: Sun Belt Tournament