Returning senior Marcus Caldeira already knew he was going to be a marked man in 2025. His latest accolade merely adds to that.
To the surprise of nobody, Caldeira was named a forward to watch for the 2025 season by the United Soccer Coaches. He’s the only West Virginia player selected to the list, which highlights the best players in the nation at each position.
Caldeira, a 6’2″ senior from Mississauga, Ontario, scored 11 goals last season and has tallied 28 in his West Virginia career. He came up big in the biggest games last season, as he scored in both of West Virginia’s NCAA tournament games. In round one, he provided what proved to be the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over North Florida, and he scored three minutes into West Virginia’s second-round loss to Virginia.
Read More: Marcus Caldeira Named to United Soccer Coaches’ Watch List
Caldeira ranks ninth on the school’s all-time scoring list and is expected to headline West Virginia’s attack this season. Last year, he was the team’s No. 2 scorer behind Sergio Ors Navarro, who led West Virginia with 15 goals. With Navarro having graduated, Caldeira and Isaac Scheer are the only returners who scored more than twice last year.
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Even with little scoring experience around him, Caldeira is a nice piece to build around. He’s been named to the All-Sun Belt team twice in his career and has been named second-team All-America in both of the past two seasons.
Previously, he made history as the first West Virginia player selected in the first round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. Minnesota United selected Caldeira with the 20th pick overall, but Caldeira opted to return to Morgantown. MLS rules function similarly to the NHL, so Caldeira will not be eligible to be selected again.
Instead, Minnesota United retains his MLS rights until the end of 2025. At that point, Caldeira would be out of collegiate eligibility. If he hasn’t signed with the Loons, he would become a free agent.
Mountaineers Hold High Expectations
Because of both Caldeira and a stingy defense, West Virginia starts the year with lofty possibilities. Under coach Dan Stratford, the Mountaineers have become a consistent NCAA tournament team. Over the past four seasons, the Mountaineers have made three appearances in the NCAA tournament. Last year, West Virginia claimed its first Sun Belt title, beating rival Marshall on penalties in the tournament final.
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However, West Virginia’s non-conference schedule ended up hurting it at tournament time. The only strong opponent the Mountaineers played out of conference last season was Dayton. That forced WVU to play in the opening round. Though the Mountaineers bested North Florida, they couldn’t hang on to an early lead against a rested Virginia squad in Charlottesville.
The Mountaineers earned a No. 16 national ranking in preseason this time. They’re one of two Sun Belt teams ranked to start the year, along with No. 2 Marshall. West Virginia will start the 2025 campaign against Manhattan on Aug. 21. The Mountaineers have two exhibition games before that, against Montgomery College on Aug. 12 and Robert Morris on Aug. 16.
