The Marshalltown Community College Men's Soccer season opener is fast approaching with their first match on the road Saturday, Aug. 19.

The Tiger will return nine players from last season including standouts Yuki Fujita, Santiago Rios, and Aaron Debus. All three being big contributors in the 2022 season for the Tigers.

MCC will be adding 22 new players to their roster. "Some of the new recruits are already showing their talent and we could see a strong squad coming along," commented Head Coach Raphael Nascimento. "All of the incoming players were recruited because they will add something to the team. We focused on getting a group of guys with talent as well as great work ethic so we can be competitive from the beginning. I have full confidence in all of the athletes that are here and now it is up to us to adjust and make this team a very successful squad."

When asked what goals Nascimento has for his team this season he said, "Our goal is to compete at our highest level. Of course, everyone wants to win championships, and we will work hard for that to be one of our goals, but I also want to make sure those athletes are focused on their studies. We want them to succeed in the classroom as well. Academically we would like to maintain at least 85% of our athletes with a GPA above 3.2."

"I want to develop our athletes and give them the tools to be successful on the field as well as in the classroom and in life. I want to show them that being a student/athlete is more than just playing soccer because we are talking about their career and future."

The Tigers finished the 2022 season with a 6-7-1 record. They will be on the road at Indian Hills Community College the first weekend of the 2023 season. Saturday, Aug. 19 they will scrimmage Southwestern Illinois College at 3:30 pm and back on the field Sunday, Aug. 20 against Indian Hills at 3:30 pm.