2024 Men's Soccer Season Preview
Wednesday August 21, 2024 - 7:30 p.m. | Dylan DeVlieger
MCC Men's Soccer kicks off their 2024 season on the road Saturday as they take on Chandler-Gilbert.
Mesa comes into the season ranked No. 14 in the NJCAA Preseason poll after posting a 7-3-5 (5-1-5 ACCAC) record last season. MCC would climb as high as No. 8 in the country at one point in the season but their quest for the Region I crown came to an end in the Region I DII Semifinals at the hands of the eventual champion Phoenix College.
The 2023 campaign saw Mesa achieve great success which helped them nationally in the polls. The T-Birds went 1-0-2 against DI opponents, one of those two ties was against Arizona Western College who at the time was ranked the No. 1 team in the country in DI.
This year the T-Birds won't have the opportunity to play against the likes of Western, Eastern, or Yavapai due to their schedule reverting to strictly DII opponents resulting in Mesa seeing all their ACCAC opponents twice during the regular season.
Though head coach Brian Ronan is a bit disappointed to not be able to put his club against the next level of competition, he does believe playing his DII conference foes twice will be a benefit to his club.
"When you play a team multiple times you're able to see trends that aren't accidental, you can take what you observe from the first time, apply what you know and expect growth, and if we're doing our job right, the players will be better and our game plan will be better," said Ronan.
For Mesa, executing and staying healthy will be key components for them to have a successful season and making it back to the national tournament as they did in 2022. Last season a flurry of injuries during their season derailed them once the postseason rolled around. The T-Birds lost their starting goalkeeper and a key defender even before the midway point of their season.
Sophomore Cody Helmhout who was a key figure on the team last year recalls the injuries mounting up as the postseason loomed.
"We limped into the playoffs and that has happened in the last two seasons where we had a good regular season then injuries piled up going into the playoffs," said Helmhout.
To try to combat that trend over the past couple seasons, Ronan and his staff have begun to stack their roster, to not only have the best players dawn the T-Bird Red & Blue, but to have the depth available to them so if they encounter a key injury they can have a next man up mentality. Mesa this year will go into the season with around 30 players which is a step up in comparison to season's past.
Managing that many players will be no easy task for Ronan, not only will he have to find the best lineup to use, work his rotation, and coach, but he will also have to keep cooler heads within his program.
It's not easy for a player to come to a program with the mindset of being a starter or being a key player on the field and being told they might not get the playing time they thought they would.
Ronan and his staff have the tall task of instilling the bigger picture into those players who might not see it, that coming to Mesa will be all about earning your way, developing as a player, and excelling at the next level because of the work you put in as a T-Bird.
"It's going to be up to us to manage the 11 players on the field at one time. Other teams will typically play 20-22 guys during a game," said Ronan. "Those other guys who don't play you just have to convince them it's worth it to develop here so our program always has the depth it needs to be successful."
With so many players on one team it won't be up to just Ronan and his coaching staff to lead the players, but leadership by the players themselves to achieve a collective unit. Helmhout is looked upon by his coaches as one to lead his teammates due to his demeanor and experience.
Helmhout looks to take a page out of his previous captains page book in his quest of leadership, being there for his team and going through the grind with them all season long.
"I want to help them the same way that our captains helped us last year, showing up everyday and being available to them," said Helmhout. "I like to lead by example a lot, so just showing up early to practice, it's been easy because the freshman are bought in to what we want to do."
Mesa will have a tall task in their first six games as they will take on the other three teams that made the postseason alongside them last season. The T-Birds are not overlooking anyone on their schedule, with every game, the stakes are higher and one slip up can cause them to underachieve.
Region I is one of the toughest regions in the country when it comes to DII men's soccer. Phoenix College (2) and Pima CC (5) are each consistently ranked top 10 in the country year in and year out. In the last four seasons, Pima and Phoenix have each competed in the national tournament, Pima won it all in 2021 while Phoenix was the runner-up in 2023.
Regardless of who they step in between the lines with, Helmhout and his teammates will have to bring it each and every game because they know that any team can have your number. Coming out of the gate confident and poised to win will be paramount for Mesa to not put themselves in a hole early in the season.
"Everyone in this conference can beat you on any given night, this entire conference is tough, in our first six games if we don't handle business we'll put ourselves in a bad position," said Helmhout.
The T-Birds will kick off their season on the road against the Coyotes on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 6 p.m. To purchase tickets to the game click here. All tickets for the game on the 24th must be purchased online.
This season admission to all T-Bird home games requires purchase of a ticket which will be sold at the gate before the game. See ticket prices below.
Ticket Prices - CASH ONLY!
Adults - $5
Children 12-18 & adults aged 65 and up - $3
Children under 12 & college students with school ID - FREE
