ORLANDO, Fla. – While the UCF men's soccer team continues to grow and accel under head coach Scott Calabrese, plenty of program alumni are thriving at the professional level around the United States.
Four former Knights are currently locked into playoff positions across the MLS and the USL Championship while another is vying for a playoff spot down the stretch run. Multiple milestones were accomplished during the regular season, including a golden boot and professional debuts. All told, UCF alumni have scored 39 goals in the USL Championship this season and have tallied 15 assists while the two active goalkeepers have turned aside 89 shots.
Sean Johnson (2007-08) and NYCFC have already locked up a playoff spot and currently sit as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference with just one regular season match remaining. They've compiled a 14-11-8 record, earning the team 50 points with three more on the table. Johnson has played in and started 28 matches for NYCFC, recording 83 saves and nine clean sheets, earning a .735 save percentage along the way. Johnson is also a part of the U.S. National Team for the 2022 World Cup Qualifier. He hasn't seen action through the first six matches, but the team is currently in one of the three qualifying spots with three matches remaining. Johnson is without a doubt the most successful alumni at the MLS level, currently playing in his 12th season. He is among some of the best goalkeepers to ever suit up for the Black and Gold, along with former goalkeeper Winston Dubose, who was an All-American from 1974 to 1976, playing before the MLS became a league.
Hadji Barry (2014-15) put together one of the most memorable seasons that an alumnus has had in recent memory. He scored 25 goals for Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, earning him the league's Golden Boot. Barry was leading the league in goals for the majority of the year and equaled the USL Championship's single-season scoring record set back in 2018. On top of the 25 goals, he also collected five assists. The 28-year-old native of Guinea broke through the 50-goal mark for his career in the process and tied for the longest scoring streak in the Championship this season with goals in seven consecutive games between May 14 and June 25. Barry now sits in sixth place all-time in league history with 63 regular season goals. He was named to the USL Championship's Team of the Week five times throughout the campaign. Barry and the Switchbacks earned a playoff spot by going 13-9-10 over their 32-match season, finishing third in the Mountain Division. They'll face Orange County SC in the Quarterfinals on Nov. 6 at 10 p.m. on ESPN+.
Two Knight alumni will square off with each other in the first round of the USL Championship playoffs on the opposite side of the bracket as Barry and the Switchbacks. Jonathan Dean's (2016-19) Birmingham Legion will host Louis Perez's (2017-20-21) Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in the quarterfinals on Nov. 7 at 5 p.m. on ESPN+. Birmingham finished the 2021 season just a point out of first in the Central Division, going 18-8-6 for 60 points at the end of the regular season. The Riverhounds finished third in Atlantic Division with a record of 17-8-7, good enough for 58 points.
Dean was solid on the back line for Birmingham all season long, starting in 31 of the team's 32 matches. He tallied over 2,700 minutes on the pitch, earning a goal and five assists on the campaign. The right back was named to the USL Championship's Team of the Week twice during the season. He led his squad with five assists and 47 chances created and had a hand in 10 clean sheets. The former two-time UCF captain was named Legion FC's 2020 Newcomer of the Year and has continued to perform at a high level in the pros.
Perez's rookie professional campaign has been a success, playing in 26 of the team's 32 matches, getting the starting nod in eight of them. He has scored two goals and tallied an assist in the process, playing in nearly 800 minutes. The former UCF midfielder signed his deal with the Riverhounds a game into the Knights' 2020-21 season that was played in the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cal Jennings (2016-19) has spent time this year with LAFC of the MLS as well as their affiliate USL Championship club, Las Vegas Lights FC. He has primarily been with Las Vegas for the 2021 season, playing and starting in 20 matches while collecting over 1,700 minutes. He scored 11 goals and added four assists, earning another professional hat trick on Oct. 16 against Phoenix. At the MLS level, Jennings made his debut on April 24 against Seattle, subbing on for nine minutes in a 1-1 draw. He has taken part in six matches with LAFC, starting in two of them, registering four shots with two of them landing on target. LAFC is currently two points out of a playoff spot with one match remaining, sitting with 44 points and a record of 12-12-8. Las Vegas did not qualify for the playoffs.
The Knights' most recent alumnus, Yannik Oettl (2017-20-21) signed a contract with New England Revolution II following UCF's 2020-21 season. He saw action in three matches, starting in two of them. He's played in 181 minutes and made six saves as a pro. The Revs II missed the USL League One's postseason by three points, earning a 11-13-4 record and going 1-4-0 down the stretch.
UCF has three active players on teams abroad. Matias Pyysalo (2014-17) is currently with Grankulla IFK of Kakkonen. Deshorn Brown (2012) is playing for NorthEast United FC of the Indian Super League after playing in the MLS for four seasons and the USL Championship for three. Romario Williams (2012-14) is suiting up for Qadsia SC in the STC Premier League after being in the Egyptian Premier League last season.
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