KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's soccer program continues to see its alumnus have success on the pitch beyond the college game.

With the MLS and MLS NEXT Pro seasons early in the 2026 schedule, the Broncos have multiple players starting professional competition. WMU alums Brandon Bye, Sean Lewis, Amin Fernouchi, Jaylen Shannon, Roni Sylejmani, Isaac Walker, Charlie Sharp, Dylan Sing, Daniel Nimick, Aidan O'Conner, Hunter Moorse, Jonathan Robinson, Tanner Hodgson, Carson Hodgson, Will Perkins, Colin Welsh, Greyson Mercer, Jonathan Stout, and Ben Derby will all take the pitch this spring and summer in a professional capacity.

Brandon Bye: Portland Timbers
As a Bronco, Bye led the men's soccer team to its first MAC regular season championship, NCAA Tournament win, and national top-five ranking as a team captain in 2017. Bye, the second player ever taken from Western Michigan in the MLS Draft, is tied for the third most game-winning goals in program history and is seen throughout the men's soccer record book.

Bye begins his ninth season in MLS and his first with the Portland Timbers after being signed to a two-year contract. When the defender was drafted eighth overall by the New England Revolution in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, Bye has made 192 regular season appearances (161 starts), recording 10 goals and 18 assists across eight seasons for the Revs. Most recently, Bye logged 26 appearances (12 starts) in the 2025 campaign for New England.

Carson Hodgson: Milwaukee Wave
Hodgson spent three years with the Brown and Gold along with his twin brother Tanner. Over his three seasons with WMU, Carson tied for the third most assists in a single season by a Bronco with 10 assists during the 2023 campaign. Carson was one of Western Michigan's 9 program MLS SuperDraft picks, having been drafted by CF Montreal in the 2024 Super Draft (Round 3, Pick 86).

Currently Carson and his brother Tanner play with the Milwaukee Wave of the Major Arena Soccer League. One of the fastest growing soccer leagues in North America currently, the MASL is in the first level of the North American soccer pyramid with the Chihuahua Savage as the reigning champs. Carson joined the Wave in November of 2025 after playing for SSV Reutlingen of the German Oberliga Baden-Württemberg league.

Tanner Hodgson: Milwaukee Wave
Hodgson also spent three seasons with Western Michigan along with his brother Carson. Tanner played in 61 matches for the Broncos across his career with 45 starts. The midfielder recorded 10 assists in three seasons, with a career-high five assists in 2023. This is also Tanner's first season with the Wave. So far in the 2025-26 season, Tanner has appeared in 11 matches with one goal and four assists. The Wave begin postseason play this week against the Empire Strykers in a best of three quarterfinals.

Daniel Nimick: Forge FC
Tied for the third most game-winning goals in WMU program history with Bye, Nimick has had continued success in the Canadian Premier League. Nimick has completed three seasons in the CPL, his first two with the Halifax Wanderers, and most recently with Forge FC in Hamilton, Ontario.

In his first season with Forge FC, Nimick earned his third nomination for the CPL's Defender of the Year award and won the award for the first time. He was also a finalist for the Player of the Year award while being named the June CPL Player of the Month and making the Gatorade Team of the Week seven times. During his three seasons in the CPL, Nimick has been nominated one other time to the Players' Player of the Year award and was named to the CPL Best XI team at the end of his first season in the league in 2023. In three seasons, Nimick has recorded 82 games played,16 goals, and 10 assists.

Jonathan Robinson: Auckland FC
WMU's single-season assist leader in 2023, Robinson is in his first season in the Australian A-League after spending a year in the New Zealand National League with the Western Springs AFC. Robinson has appeared in six matches so far this season for Auckland FC, recording one assist in 438 minutes. While with Western Springs AFC, Robinson appeared in 23 matches with 5 goals and one assist.

Prior to moving down under, Robinson was part of the Sporting KC system, having been drafted by the club in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft. Robinson spent two seasons with Sporting KC II in the MLS NEXT PRO league, playing in 14 matches with one goal and two assists.

Roni Sylejmani: FC Drita
After completing a five-year career with the Broncos in December, forward Roni Sylejmani returned to his home country of Kosovo to play professionally. Sylejmani has joined FC Drita in the Kosovo Superleague, the top division in Kosovo. FC Drita currently leads the Albi Mall Superliga through 26 matches in the 2025-26 season with a 14-6-6 record.

Isaac Walker: Crown Legacy FC/Charlotte FC
Walker continued WMU's legacy of dominate goalkeepers during his three seasons with the Brown and Gold, recording nine victories in the 2019 season for the fifth most in a season. This February, Walker was signed to a contract by Crown Legacy FC's parent team, MLS' Charlotte FC through the 2026 season. Walker also has an option for June of 2027 and the 2027-28 MLS season.

Walker has been with Crown Legacy FC since the club's inaugural season in 2023. Part of the MLS NEXT Pro league, Walker has appeared in 35 matches, recording eight clean sheets and 95 saves for the Crown. In 2023, the Orlando, Florida native was selected to represent CLFC at MLS All-Star in Washington, D.C., where he competed in Goalie Wars. Walker walked away with the championship belt after taking down Huntsville City FC's Ben Martino and Austin FC II's Damian Las.

Colin Welsh: St. Louis City II
Western Michigan's most recent MLS SuperDraft selection, goalkeeper Colin Welsh is enjoying a professional career in the MLS NEXT Pro league. After being drafted by St. Louis City SC in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft, Welsh joined their MLS NEXT club, St. Louis City II. Over two seasons with St. Louis, Welsh has appeared in net in 21 games with 14 starts for a total of 1,260 minutes. Welsh has recorded five clean sheets in 21 games while making 37 saves. Most recently, Welsh started for St. Louis in their March 28 game against Sporting KC in a 2-0 victory.  

Aidan O'Conner: Loudoun United FC
A two-year player for the Broncos to begin his collegiate career, defender Aidan O'Conner enters his third year playing professional soccer. After being selected in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft by the New York Red Bulls, O'Conner appeared in two MLS matches for the Red Bulls. O'Conner spent the majority of his professional career so far playing for the New York Red Bulls II in the MLS Next Pro league.

O'Conner also played 24 games in the Canadian Premier League on loan to Vancouver FC in 2025. This January, O'Conner signed with Loudoun United FC in the USL Championship League. Loudoun United has just begun its 2026 season and O'Conner has not yet played a match for his new club.

Charlie Sharp: Indy Eleven
Perhaps WMU's best player in program history, forward Charlie Sharp is the Brown and Gold's all-time leader in goals scored, points accumulated, and game winning goals. Sharp was selected in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft by Toronto FC and made his MLS debut in May of 2024. The forward appeared in eight MLS games and also spent a season in MLS NEXT Pro with Toronto FC II, registering five goals and two assists in 16 games.

Sharp was loaned to the Tampa Bay Rowdies this past August where he played in eight games with two starts, five shots, and three fouls won. Sharp is now with the Indy Eleven in the USL Championship after signing with the club in December of 2025. Sharp has appeared and started in two matches so far for the Eleven with eight shots in 160 minutes. He is also teammates with former Western Michigan teammate Dylan Sing.

Dylan Sing: Indy Eleven
WMU's second all-time points and goals leader Sing transitioned exceptionally to the next level of soccer. Sing spent two seasons with Crown Legacy FC in MLS NEXT Pro league before being signed by the Indy Eleven in December of 2025. Sing led Crown Legacy FC, with a team-high eight goals in both of his seasons. 

In 2025, he recorded his first brace as a pro vs. Inter Miami CF II on Aug. 22 and added two assists while in 2024 he made 24 appearances, 17 starts, and finished with a team-high eight goals and two assists. Sing now has appeared and started in all three games for the Indy Eleven to begin the 2026 season with 178 minutes played. The forward is second on the team in goals with one and fourth in shots with four.

Jonathan Stout: Lexington SC
The reigning 2025 MVC Men's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, forward Jonathan Stout was signed earlier this month by Lexington SC of the USL Championship League. In his lone season with the Broncos, Stout led the team in goals with 5 and recorded an assist for 11 points. Stout is currently on a 25-day contract with Lexington and has appeared in one match for six minutes.

Sean Lewis: Spokane Velocity
Tied for the third most shutouts in a single season at WMU, Lewis has had just as much success in the professional level. Lewis was the 2023 USL League One Golden Glove winner with One Knoxville FC and spent three seasons with the club before signing with the Spokane Velocity last month. Lewis also won back-to-back Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2024 and 2025 and helped Knoxville FC to the League One title and players' shield in 2025 Over those three seasons, Lewis accumulated nearly 200 saves and 29 clean sheets in 74 matches played.

Prior to his time in USL1, Lewis played with several USL Championship sides, including Indy Eleven and FC Tulsa. Sean made 60 appearances for Tulsa and notched over 150 saves from 2019-2022. Before his USL experience, Lewis played overseas for Olympia Warriors of the National Premier League in Australia, where he made 28 appearances and helped the club to multiple titles, including the Victory League Championship.

Greyson Mercer: Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
A graduate player for the Brown and Gold, Mercer joined the professional ranks shortly after finishing his 19^th and final game for Western Michigan. The forward is heading into his second season with the Chattanooga Red Wolves in 2026. In his debut season, Mercer appeared in 20 games with nine starts for 886 minutes of play. Two games into the 2026 season, Mercer has started in both and has recorded one of the Red Wolves four goals.

Hunter Moorse: Hearts of Pine
Having the second most shutouts in a single season at WMU, Morse is entering his third season of professional soccer in net. Morse spent his first two seasons with FC Cincinnati's MLS Next Pro side after being selected in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. The keeper then began his time with the Portland Hearts of Pine in 2025, leading the team in minutes and playing a pivotal role in the club secure their first-ever USL League One playoff spot. Morse was then named the club's Most Valuable Player for his first season with the Hearts of Pine.

Will Perkins: One Knoxville SC
After spending his senior season with the Brown and Gold, Will Perkins has spent three seasons in the professional ranks. Perkins was part of the 2024 USL League One Champion Union Omaha team. During that season, Perkins was loaned to Huntsville City FC in the MLS NEXT Pro league, where he played 1187 minutes. In 2025, the defender played for Texoma FC where he started 27 of 29 games and scored his first goal in the league. Perkins signed with One Knoxville in January and has appeared in two matches this season.

Jaylen Shannon: Forward Madison
One of Western Michigan's Defensive Player of the Year winners, defender Jaylen Shannon begins the 2026 season with Forward Madison in USL1. Shannon began his professional career while still with the Broncos, playing with the South Bend Lions in 2022 and the Flint City Bucks in 2023 in USL League 2. Following college, Shannon's first professional contract came in 2024 when he signed with Chicago Fire FC II where he logged 2,095 minutes in 24 starts. Shannon also had a brief stint at the MLS level, making his debut in July of 2024 starting for Chicago Fire FC in the Leagues Cup against Sporting Kansas City. Following a rehab season back in Kalamazoo in 2025 as part of Kalamazoo FC, Shannon returns to the USL1 level with Forward Madison.

Amin Fernouchi: FSV Fernwald (German 5^th Division)
Following two seasons with WMU and appearing in 15 matches, defender Amin Fernouchi returned to his home country of Germany to play professional soccer. Fernouchi is currently playing for FSV Fernwald as part of the Oberliga league in the fifth division of German soccer. One of the oldest clubs in the league, Fernwald is currently 7-4-6 in the 2025-26 season. Fernouchi has appeared in 17 matches and has scored two goals with an assist for Fernwald.

Ben Derby: Vegas Knight Hawks
 After spending three seasons with the Brown and Gold, defender Ben Derby plays on a different kind of field professionally. Derby now plays American football in the Indoor Football League as a kicker after spending 2024 getting collegiate football experience with the Keiser Seahawks in Florida. Last season, Derby was a member of the Vegas Knight Hawks where he appeared in 12 games. The former defender made three field goals on nine attempts while adding 71 extra points for 80 on the season. Derby was ninth among all kickers in 2025 in points.

For all things WMU men's soccer, make sure to follow the team on Instagram, @wmu_menssoccer, X, @WMUMensSoccer, and Facebook at @wmumenssoccer.