Paco Fernandez, a graduate student who completed his eligibility at Bryant University, has been named to the 2026 United Soccer Coaches Hermann Trophy watch list, the premier preseason acknowledgment for the nation’s top collegiate soccer player.
A Prestigious Watch List
The Hermann Trophy, presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club, honors the player adjudged the most outstanding Division I soccer athlete in the United States. The award is named after Robert Hermann, a St. Louis entrepreneur who helped shape early American soccer and was inducted into the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012.
During the 2025 campaign Fernandez appeared in 22 matches, starting 20 of them, and contributed six goals and four assists for a total of 16 points. His performances earned him America East Midfielder of the Year, a spot on the First Team All‑Northeast and a place on the First Team All‑America East.
The watch list, comprising 27 players drawn from the previous season’s All‑Americans and All‑Region selections, will be trimmed to 15 semifinalists on December 4, 2026 after a vote by Division I head coaches. Those semifinalists will then be considered for the final three, with the ultimate winner to be announced on January 8, 2027 at the Missouri Athletic Club’s gala in St. Louis.
If Fernandez advances to the final three, the ceremony will not only celebrate individual excellence but also highlight the growing prominence of the sport at the collegiate level, underscoring the pathways that lead from campus fields to international competition.