Florida International University

FIU Athletics
11200 SW 8th Street Miami, FL 33199

Division 1 Florida Southeast

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Kyle Russell

Head Coach Kyle Russell's third season was his most successful yet leading the Panthers to a 14-5-1 overall record, the most wins since 2003, and a 6-2-1 conference record.

FIU won The American regular season and postseason tournament championships in the program's first season in the conference.

The Panthers also made their 12th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, making it to the third round for the third time. The Panthers were the No. 10 seed in the tournament, earning an automatic first round bye and defeated New Hampshire in the second round in a thrilling penalty shootout.

Russell’s side took down five ranked opponents in 2022 including an, 3-0, upset victory of the No 10 Tulsa at FIU Soccer Stadium and taking down then No. 13 UNC. His side was dominant to end the season going 10-2-1, including a eight-match unbeaten streak.

In Russell's first full coaching season the Panthers racked up 22 points in the league standings, marking the most by an FIU squad since joining C-USA, while making an NCAA Tournament Round of 32 appearance and defeating a No. 1 nationally ranked team for the first time in FIU program history.

Russell was named the 2021 Conference USA Coach of the Year after guiding the Panthers to a 2021 Conference USA Regular Season Championship, including a 12-2-2 regular season record and an undefeated 7-0-1 mark in C-USA.

Under Russell, the Panthers earned an at-large bid as the No. 13 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament and secured a First Round bye, marking only the third time FIU has advanced automatically to the Round of 32. Coach Russell also stood as the youngest head coach in the 2021 NCAA Tournament field and the youngest in the formidable C-USA.

FIU rose as high as No. 12 in the national rankings during the 2021 season while being Top-25 in national polls for 10 consecutive weeks. The Panthers also achieved their highest RPI ranking (No. 13) since the 2003 season after playing six nationally ranked teams and two additional squads that received votes.

The Panthers posted a perfect 7-0 record at home including a dominating 4-1 victory over No. 1 ranked and defending NCAA champion Marshall in the final game of the regular season to secure the C-USA title. FIU earned the No. 1 seed in the Conference USA Tournament after battling in a formidable league field that went on to produce four NCAA Tournament teams (FIU, Kentucky, Marshall, Charlotte), which stood second behind only the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference).

Coach Russell helped FIU secure seven shutouts during the 2021 season, marking the program’s most clean sheets since the 2003 campaign. FIU also led the country in shot-attempts per game (17.62) in 2021, while also ranking second nationally in shots-on-goal per game (7.75) and Top-25 in several other offensive and defensive categories.

In a season that saw 15 Panther newcomers on only a 30-man roster, Russell developed talent that garnered 25 individual player awards throughout the season. Russell recruited the 2021 C-USA Freshman of the Year Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro, while FIU also saw 10 All-Conference awards, 4 First Team All C-USA honorees, two C-USA All-Tournament Team members, six C-USA Player of the Week honors, three National Player of the Week honors (Top Drawer Soccer and CollegeSoccerNews.com), and four United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Team members.

Kyle Russell was named the head coach of the FIU men's soccer program on February 21, 2020.

Since arriving at FIU in 2020, Russell has hauled in two top-ranked recruiting classes, including the No. 16 ranked class in 2020 (Top Drawer Soccer) and the No. 30 class in 2021. At the mid-point of the 2021 season, TopDrawerSoccer.com also ranked three of FIU's newcomers in its Men's Top-100 Freshman list including Dos Santos Monteiro (No. 23), Julian Hodek (No. 69), and Edgar Aguilar (No. 76).

Coach Russell owns a 30-13-4 overall record since joining FIU after posting a 4-4-1 mark in his first season at the helm amidst a global pandemic. During the 2020 shortened COVID season, Russell helped the Panthers earn six All-CUSA accolades and three C-USA Player of the Week awards.

Upon arriving at FIU in March of 2020, Russell immediately put together one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. After the 2020 Fall campaign was shortened and postponed to the Spring of 2021, Russell helped the Panthers earn six 2020 All-CUSA accolades and three C-USA Player of the Week awards during Spring competition.

Prior to joining FIU, Russell spent 10 seasons as a member of the Coastal Carolina men's soccer program and served as associate head coach of the Chanticleers from 2015-19.

During Russell's 10-year stint with CCU, the Chanticleers posted a 147-66-27 overall record to go along with a 63-11-8 mark in conference play. Under Russell's guidance, the Chants secured a total of 12 championship titles, including four Big South regular-season titles (2009, 2011, 2012, 2013), three Big South Tournament titles (2010, 2013, 2014), three Sun Belt Tournament titles (2016, 2017, 2019) and two Sun Belt regular-season titles (2016, 2017). Along the way, Russell helped guide the Chanticleers to nine NCAA Tournament appearances including eight-straight trips from 2010-2017, and most recently a Second Round appearance in the 2019 tourney.

Russell's responsibilities on the CCU staff included acting as the primary recruiting coordinator, scouting prospective student-athletes, game-day preparation, video analysis, and the coordination of the Chanticleers' defensive unit. Russell was highly involved in the recruitment of eventual All-Americans Ashton Bennett (2011, 2012), Pedro Ribeiro (2011, 2013) and Shawn McLaws (2014) — the latter of who became the first All-American selection by a Chanticleer defender since Guy Norcott in 1992. Additionally, Russell recruited NSCAA All-Region performers Justin Portillo, Uchenna Uzo, Ricky Garbanzo, Matt Risher and Ridge Robinson.

During his five-year tenure as associate head coach, Russell helped lead the Chanticleers to a 59-35-18 record while posting an 18-7-3 record in league play. During that span, Russell helped guide the Chanticleers to five NCAA Tournament victories in four different appearances, while also winning five Sun Belt trophies. In 2015, Russell helped the Chanticleers earn their highest-ever national ranking in program history as they were slotted No. 4 by both College Soccer News (CSN) and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Russell became the first-ever to earn the title of associate head coach at CCU men's soccer in 2015 after spending the 2010-14 seasons as an assistant coach on the Chanticleer's staff.

In his first five seasons as an assistant coach, Russell helped guide the Chanticleers to six NCAA Tournament victories in five appearances while also winning seven Big South trophies. Additionally, Russell helped the Chants to a top-25 national ranking in four consecutive seasons from 2011-14, including a then-program-high ranking of No. 5 during the latter stages of the 2013 season. Under Russell, the Chanticleers co-led the NCAA with 85 wins from 2010-14 while dominating the Big South Conference and compiling a 40-4-2 conference record.

Russell's defensive approach heavily impacted CCU, as Chanticleer squads ranked in the top 20 percent of the NCAA in goals-against-average and shutout percentage during each season from 2010-2014. The Chants produced 48 shutouts during that span, including 12 each in the 2012 and 2013 campaigns. Russell coached four-straight Big South Defensive Players of the Year from 2010-14, while seeing 12 Chanticleer defensive players earn All-Big South honors.

Russell began his coaching career as a student volunteer assistant coach on the Chanticleers staff during the 2009 campaign, in which he helped CCU earn a Big South regular-season title while posting a 9-2-7 overall record and an undefeated 5-0-3 mark in conference play.

Prior to joining the coaching ranks at CCU, Russell spent four seasons on the pitch as a member of the Chanticleer men's soccer team from 2005-2008.

A four-year defender, Russell drew 74 starts in 78 appearances and currently ranks ninth all-time at CCU in games played while ranking eighth all-time in games started. Russell played an instrumental role in helping CCU secure one Big South regular-season championship (2007), one Big South Tournament championship (2005), and one trip to the NCAA Tournament (2005) during his playing career. He earned three All-Big South selections and was tabbed to the Big South All-Tournament team three times.

Russell went on to participate in the Major League Soccer (MLS) Combine during the summer of 2009 and the United Soccer League (USL) combine in 2010. Upon graduation, Russell played professionally with the Charleston Battery, Real Maryland and Charlotte Eagles of the USL.

A native of South Elgin, Illinois, Russell graduated from Coastal Carolina in 2009 with a degree in business management and received his master's of business administration in 2014. He and his wife Monica married in May of 2013.

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Dannie Merida

Dannie Merida was promoted to Associate Head Coach of FIU men’s soccer in April of 2022 after serving as an assistant coach for two seasons with the program.

He helped lead the Panthers to one of the most successful seasons in program history as FIU captured the 2022 American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships and a run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.

Merida's efforts have garnered national praise as he was named a 2022 College Soccer News Top Assistant Coach and the FIU coaching staff as a whole was named the united Soccer Coaches Regional United Soccer Coaches NCAA D-I East Region Staff of the Year.

Merida, who owns 13 years of collegiate coaching experience, helped guide the Panthers to one of the program's best seasons ever in 2021 which included a Conference USA Regular Season Championship and a berth to the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32.

During the 2021 season as an assistant coach, Merida helped the Panthers earned a 12-2-2 regular-season record an undefeated 7-0-1 mark in C-USA play, while also securing the most points ever (22) in the league standings since joining C-USA. Merida also helped the Panthers defeat a No. 1 ranked opponent for the first time in program history, when FIU downed defending NCAA champion Marshall in the final game of the regular season to claim the league's regular-season title.

Under Merida's guidance, FIU went on to earn an at-large bid as the No. 13 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament and secured a first round bye, marking only the third time in history that FIU has advanced automatically to the Round of 32, and the program’s 11th appearance in the national tournament.

During the 2021 regular season, Merida also helped FIU earn a No. 12 national ranking while being Top-25 in national polls for 10 consecutive weeks. The Panthers also achieved their highest RPI ranking (No. 13) since the 2003 season after playing six nationally ranked teams and two additional squads that received votes.

Merida helped the Panthers posted a perfect 7-0 record at home in 2021, including a dominating 4-1 victory over No. 1 Marshall, a shutout 1-0 win over No. 12 VCU, and a 4-0 clean sheet victory over #RV Charlotte - a program FIU had never beaten since joining C-USA. The Blue & Gold earned the No. 1 seed in the C-USA Tournament after battling in a league field that went on to produce four NCAA Tournament teams (FIU, Kentucky, Marshall, Charlotte), which stood second nationally behind only the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

Coach Merida's defensive acumen also helped FIU secure seven shutouts during the 2021 season, marking the program's most clean sheets since the 2003 campaign. Offensively, Merida helped the Panthers lead the country in shot-attempts (17.62 per game) in 2021, while also ranking second nationally in shots-on-goal per game (7.75) and Top-25 in several other offensive and defensive categories.

In a 2021 campaign that saw 15 Panther newcomers on only a 30-man roster, Merida helped developed talent that garnered 25 individual player awards throughout the season. Merida helped recruited the 2021 C-USA Freshman of the Year Bernardo Dos Santos Monteiro, while FIU also saw 10 All-Conference awards, 4 First Team All C-USA honorees, two C-USA All-Tournament Team members, six C-USA Player of the Week honors, three National Player of the Week honors (Top Drawer Soccer and CollegeSoccerNews.com), and four United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Team members.

Merida helped haul in the No. 30 ranked class in 2021 (Top Drawer Soccer). At the mid-point of the 2021 season, TopDrawerSoccer.com ranked three of FIU's newcomers in its Men's Top-100 Freshman list including Dos Santos Monteiro (No. 23), Julian Hodek (No. 69), and Edgar Aguilar (No. 76).

Merida became the first hire of head coach Kyle Russell's staff back in March of 2020 and immediately put together one of the top recruiting classes in the nation, garnering No. 16 by TopDrawerSoccer.com. Merida later helped FIU post a 4-4-1 mark in the shortened 2020 COVID season which took place in Spring of 2021, while also helping the Panthers earn six All-CUSA accolades and three C-USA Player of the Week awards.

The Blue & Gold own a 16-8-3 overall record since Merida joined the program in 2020

Merida landed at FIU after spending the previous nine seasons with the Stony Brook University men's soccer program of the America East Conference. Raised in Miami Dade County, Merida returned home to where his coaching career initially began, and where he once graced the pitch as a Panther with the FIU men's soccer team.

Merida served as the associate head coach of SBU men's soccer from 2017-19, helping guide the Seawolves to an AE regular-season title in 2018, while garnering SBU the honor of 2018 AE Coaching Staff of the Year. Prior to earning his promotion with SBU, Merida acted as the top assistant coach for the Seawolves from 2011-2016. In the 2016 campaign, Merida guided the Seawolves to a No. 1 seed in the AE Tournament, posting a 9-6-3 record (5-1-1 AE) during a season in which the AE Conference ranked No. 3 nationally in RPI behind only the ACC and the PAC-12. In 2011, Merida helped the Seawolves capture an AE Tournament crown, propelling SBU to its third-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.

During his nine years at SBU, Merida saw the Seawolves qualify for the AE Conference Tournament in seven different seasons. Overall, Merida coached 30 AE All-Conference players, 10 All-Region players, SBU's first-ever men's soccer All-American, one MLS draftee, three AE Rookies of the Year, two AE Midfielders of the Year, one AE Striker of the Year and one AE Man of the Year.

Prior to coaching at SBU, Merida served as a top assistant coach at Lewis University (Chicago) in 2010, where he helped the Flyers become the Great Lake Valley Conference regular-season champs, earning as high as a No. 3 Division II national ranking by the NSCAA. Merida's first collegiate coaching job was at Lincoln College in Lincoln, Illinois, where he spent the 2009 campaign as the associate head coach for the Lynx and guided the program to an NJCAA top-15 national ranking.

Before heading north to Illinois, Merida began his coaching career in Miami, previously serving as the associate head soccer coach of both Miami Palmetto Senior High School and Miami Killian Senior High School. In 2008, Merida's Killian squad earned a No. 2 ranking in Florida and a No. 8 national ranking by ESPN. Merida also acted as head coach of South Kendall Soccer Club from 2006-2009.

Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Merida spent two seasons on the pitch as a student-athlete for FIU men's soccer from 2004-05, where he helped a top-25 ranked Panther squad secure a 2004 Atlantic Soccer Conference Championship, as well as a berth to the NCAA Tournament. Merida transferred to FIU following his freshman season at Elon University in 2003.

In 2008, Merida earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education from FIU. Merida is joined in Miami by his wife Nicole, daughter Gabriella (4 years old), and son Daniel, Jr. (4 months).

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Lucas Champenois

FIU continued to improve in Champenois third season as the Panthers dominated the 2022 American Athletic Conference, winning the regular season and tournament championships in the program's first season in the conference.

In his first season with the Panther's he helped the program go 12-4-2 and capped the year with an upset victory over No. 1 Marshall to capture the Conference USA regular season championship.

Lucas Champenois was announced as assistant coach of FIU men's soccer in March of 2021. Champenois joins FIU after spending the last three seasons as an assistant coach at NC State in the highly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), where he worked primarily with the goalkeepers.

While at NC State, Champenois coached and developed Leon Krapf, a CoSIDA Academic All-American, All-ACC Academic Team honoree, and the program record-holder in career goals against average (1.11). Krapf also finished his career ranked No. 2 in program history in shutouts (25) under the guidance of Champenois. In 2019, NC State finished fifth in the stacked ACC landscape and earned a first round berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Champenois duties at NC State included conducting goalkeeper specific training and advanced development, while also participating in player recruitment and player identification. Champenois aided staff in designing daily training sessions, creating opposition scouting reports, and editing video before and after contests. Among his coaching, recruiting, and development duties, Champenois also held weekly academic meetings with players, assisted the director of soccer operations with administrative duties, and helped organize and direct youth ID camps.

Prior to joining NC State, Champenois served as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of New Mexico (UNM) from 2016-19, responsible for working with the goalkeepers. During his time with the Lobos, Champenois helped guide the program to a 2016 Conference USA Tournament championship after defeating FIU in the final round. Champenois also coached and developed goalkeeper Jason Beaulieu, who went on to sign with the Montral Impact of the MLS. In addition, Champenois developed Ford Parker between the posts, who is currently playing with New Mexico United of the USL Championship.

While coaching at UNM, Champenois also served as a goalkeeper and academy coach at Rio Rapids Soccer Club in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as well as a goalkeeper coach at South West School of Goalkeeping.

Champenois began his coaching career in 2015 as an assistant soccer coach at Diablo Football Club in Concord, California.

Before transitioning to the coaching ranks, Champenois was a four-year NCAA Division I goalkeeper standout from 2012-15 at Saint Mary's College of California (SMC). Champenois was a team captain and finished his career as the third all-time program leader in goals against average (1.23). During his senior season in 2015, Champenois led the West Coast Conference (WCC) in shutouts, goals allowed, and goals against average (0.95), while earning Second Team All-WCC at the end of the year. Champenois was also a 2015 WCC All-Academic Team Honorable Mention and a two-time member of the WCC Commisioner's Honor Roll.

Champenois holds a U.S Soccer Federation 'D' License and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Saint Mary's College of California.

A native of Mountain View, California, Champenois is fluent in both English and French and is proficient in Spanish.