KANSAS CITY, Missouri – Portland junior midfielder Nick Fernandez was one of only 16 NCAA Division I soccer players in the country named to the 2024 Hermann Trophy nominee list, the United Soccer Coaches announced Thursday.
Fernandez was recently named a midfielder to watch by the United Soccer Coaches and is one of five players on the Hermann Watch List who earned All-America honors last season. A third-team All-American, Fernandez was also named WCC Midfielder of the Year, All-WCC First Team and United Soccer Coaches All-West Region First Team. He was the first Pilot in program history to earn WCC Midfielder of the Year honors.
The Downers Grove, Illinois native played in 15 games last year, starting 13 of them, and recorded two goals and seven assists. He was fourth in the WCC in assists, and his goal against San Francisco proved to be the game-winning goal for the Pilots, earning them a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1988.
The Hermann Trophy is presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club and is the nation’s highest individual award. It recognizes the national player of the year, as determined by a vote of Division I head coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches. It is named for the late Robert Hermann, the legendary businessman and soccer executive from St. Louis, Missouri, who founded the National Professional Soccer League, the first professional soccer league in the United States, from which the North American Soccer League evolved. He was inducted into the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012.
The list of 2024 candidates was compiled by members of the Division I Men’s All-America Council from a list of returning 2023 All-Americans as well as First Team All-Region players. A total of 15 players will be named 2024 Hermann Trophy semifinalists on December 11 following the conclusion of NCAA Division I All-American voting. From this list, head coaches will cast their votes and three players will be named finalists. The 2024 award winner will be announced on January 3, 2025, at a ceremony at the Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis, Missouri.
Five players from the University of Portland men’s soccer team have reached the final round of the MAC/Hermann Trophy in their eventful history: Kasey Keller (1990, 1991), Joe Leonetti (1991), Yari Allnutt (1992), Chris Brown (1998) and Nate Jaqua (2002).
Portland, ranked 22nd in the rankings, opens the season Friday against the Washington Huskies at Merlo Field at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Live stats and video options are available at PortlandPilots.com. The game will be preceded by the annual Bite of Bluff, which will feature numerous food vendors set up in Chiles Center Plaza starting at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets for the 2024 season are on sale now. Season tickets, flex packages and single game tickets are available at PortlandPilots.com/SOCCERTIX2024. Click the URL for more information.
Watchlist for the 2024 Hermann Trophy for Men
| position | name | Class | School | Hometown |
| D | Leo Burney | Fr. | University of Pennsylvania | Seattle, Washington. |
| D | Nick Dang | Fr. | University of Virginia | Brentwood, Tennessee. |
| D | Max Miller | Fr. | University of Kentucky | Lexington, Kentucky. |
| D | Jonathan Robinson | Fr. | Western Michigan University | Gurnee, Illinois. |
| M | Sam Bassett | Fr. | University of Denver | Colorado Springs, CO. |
| M | Nick Fernandez | Fr. | University of Portland | Downers Grove, Illinois. |
| M | Bailey Sparks | Fr. | Southern Methodist University | Plano, Texas |
| M | Jonathan Stout | Fr. | Michigan State University | Michigan, United States. |
| F | Chris Album | Fr. | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | Vancouver, BC |
| F | Yaniv Bazini | GR-5 | University of Vermont | Beit Hanan, Israel |
| F | Marcus Caldeira | Fr. | West Virginia University | Toronto, Ontario. |
| F | Lucca Duorado | Fr. | University of Central Florida | Sao Paulo, Brazil |
| F | Luis Flores | Fr. | Oral Roberts University | Lufkin, Texas |
| F | Marc Pitarch Bayot | Fr. | Bryant University | Ares del Maestrat, Spain |
| F | Lineker Rodrigues dos Santos | Fr. | Marshall University | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| F | Samuel Sarver | Fr. | Indiana University | Chesterland, Ohio |
The Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, Missouri, has presented the Player of the Year award in college football since 1986. The MAC was founded in 1903 as a sports, dining and social club. It holds Platinum Club of America status, which is awarded to the best private clubs in the country. For more information on the Missouri Athletic Club, visit mac-stl.org.
