Junior forward Dayton O'Brien and senior goalkeeper Sebastian Vecchio of the 2004 Conference USA regular season champion Memphis Tigers were selected the conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year for men's soccer, as selected by the league coaches.

Memphis head coach Richie Grant, who led his squad to a 14-3-1 mark (tying the school record for wins) and a No. 11 national ranking by the NSCAA, was named the 2004 C-USA Coach of the Year. It is Grant's second conference honor as he was named the league's Coach of the Year in 2000, when he guided the team to a 14-6 record.

O'Brien and Vecchio were also selected to the all-conference first team, along with teammates Daniel Dobson and defender Justin Dyer. The Tigers had the most selections on the first team with four, followed by Saint Louis with three. Forward Will John and midfielders John DiRaimondo and Ryan Wileman represented the Billikens on the first team. Charlotte and UAB each had two selections. Charlotte's Adam Ruud and Floyd Franks joined Blazers Leandro de Oliveira and Sandy Gbandi, along with USF sophomore defender Kareem Smith.

A pair of USF rookies, midfielder Simon Schoendorf and forward Rodrigo Hidalgo, shared the 2004 Freshman of the Year honor. Schoendorf also earned a spot on the all-conference second team, while Hidalgo was selected to the third team.

The 2004 Dr. Mark Lynn & Associaties PLLC Conference USA Men's Soccer Tournament kicks off this Thursday, November 11 at Cardinal Park Soccer Stadium in Louisville, Ky.

All-Conference First Team
F Will John, Saint Louis
F Dayton O'Brien, Memphis
F Adam Ruud, Charlotte
MF John DiRaimondo, Saint Louis
MF Daniel Dobson, Memphis
MF Floyd Franks, Charlotte
MF Leandro de Oliveira, UAB
MF Ryan Wileman, Saint Louis
D Justin Dyer, Memphis
D Sandi Gbandi, UAB
D Kareem Smith, USF
GK Sebastian Vecchio, Memphis

All-Conference Second Team
F Chris Lee, Marquette
F Andy Metcalf, Memphis
F Wiremu Patrick, Cincinnati
MF Keeron Benito, USF
MF Jeff Hughes, Cincinnati
MF John Liersemann, Cincinnati
MF Simon Schoendorf, USF
D Brett Branan, Saint Louis
D Matt Neeley, Louisville
D Tim Ward, Saint Louis
GK Dane Brenner, USF

All-Conference Third Team
F Terron Amos, East Carolina
F David Guzman, Louisville
F Rodrigo Hidalgo, USF
F Hunter West, USF
MF Bryan Dahlquist, Marquette
MF John Kornfeld, DePaul
MF Rogerio Oliveira, UAB
MF John Reilly, Memphis
D Ewen Blair, Cincinnati
D Gary Connolly, Memphis
D Joe Klosterman, UAB
D John Nabers, Charlotte
GK Mike Vessels, Cincinnati

All-Freshman Team
J.W. Gallagher, East Carolina
Brandon Gasparovic, Saint Louis
David Guzman, Louisville
Rodrigo Hidalgo, USF
Amir Ikner, Cincinnati
Christian Jiminez, USF
Joe Klosterman, UAB
John Kornfeld, DePaul
Adam Montgomery, Memphis
Simon Schoendorf, USF
Tim Ward, Saint Louis

Coach of the Year
Richie Grant, Memphis

Offensive Player of the Year
Dayton O'Brien, Memphis

Defensive Player of the Year
Sebastian Vecchio, Memphis

Co-Freshmen of the Year
Rodrigo Hidalgo, USF
Simon Schoendorf, USF