Honors Continue for Standout Real
October 05, 2026 | Men's Soccer
Missouri State's fifth-year Diego Real has been awarded the American Conference Offensive Player of the Week honor the league announced Monday, and a spot on the coveted 2026 Men's Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List.
Missouri State men's soccer team now boasts six total American Conference weekly award for the season.
Real, hailing from Valencia, Spain, earned the Offensive Player of the Week honor after a spectacular week on the pitch. Against Central Arkansas on Sept. 29, he scored a brace in the Bears 2-0 win. He then backed this performance up by scoring the game-tying goal on the road in the Bears' 1-1 tie against Memphis on Oct. 3.
Real tallied 79 minutes of play against Central Arkansas, and 80 minutes of play against Memphis.
Real has now scored eight total goals and made four assists, tallying 20 points over the season for the Bears. He is ranked fourth in the nation for total points.
He is also ranked fifth in the nation and first in the American Conference for points per game (2.00), sixth in the nation and second in the American Conference for game-winning goals (3), and seventh in the nation and first in the American Conference for total goals scored (8).
Real's incredible season has further earned him a place amongst 30 NCAA Men's Division I college soccer players on the 2026 Men's Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch, the United Soccer Coaches announced on Friday.
The Hermann Trophy is presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club and is the nation's highest individual honor recognizing the National Player of the Year as determined by voting of Division I head coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches.
It is named in honor of the late Robert Hermann, the legendary St. Louis, Mo., businessman and soccer executive who founded the National Professional Soccer League, the first pro soccer league in the United States which became the North American Soccer League. He was inducted in the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012.
The 2026 midseason watch list was compiled by members of the Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List Committee. A total of 15 players will be named 2026 Hermann Trophy semifinalists on December 4 at the conclusion of NCAA Division I All-American voting.
From that list, head coaches will cast votes, and three players will be named finalists. The 2026 recipient will be announced Jan. 8, 2027, in a ceremony at the historic Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis.
The Bears are home again for their next match on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 7:00 p.m. to tackle Oral Roberts at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium. Admission is free. The game will air on ESPN+.
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