RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The world's game has taken seniors Malang Mandiang and Mouhamed Pouye from the beaches of Senegal to Florida and eventually the Rio Grande Valley, but through every stop, their inseperable friendship has only grown stronger.
 
The two stepped into unfamiliar roles this year as leaders of a young 2026 squad. Pouye was named a captain during the preseason while Mandiang has embraced his standing as a veteran.
 
One thing remains a constant for the pair: their trust in each other.
 
"I just feel like we know each other without talking," Mandiang said. "He knows how I play, and I know how he plays."
 
That familiarity was on display against South Florida when the Vaqueros poured five goals past a stunned Bulls squad.
 
The third goal was a work of art. Freshman Victor van der Aa played a through ball to Mandiang on the right side of the box as Pouye sprinted toward the middle. With one touch, Mandiang delivered a driving cross to Pouye, who beat his defender to the spot and buried the ball into the bottom left corner of the net.
 
"I knew if I made the run, he was going to pass it," Pouye said. "I just trusted it. I didn't even have to call for it."
 
The connection didn't start in the Rio Grande Valley, or even the United States. The pair first met in their hometown of Dakar, Senegal.
 
The pair honed their skills on the beaches of Senegal before eventually earning tryouts with Galaxy Football Academy. In Senegal, soccer wasn't just a pastime; it was a way of life.
 
"In Senegal, almost everyone plays soccer," Pouye said. "When you're young, you just get out and play."
 
Pouye was the first to try out for the academy, earning his spot in 2017. The following year, Mandiang arrived at the Academy and quickly showed off his athleticism and skill to earn his spot on the pitch.
 
The duo became fast friends, building a connection as opposite wingers. The connection translated off the pitch as well as the pair discovered they lived near each other and had many of the same interests.
 
"We would take the same bus home," Pouye said. "We used to go to school in the morning, and in the evening, we would go to the academy."
 
As the duo continued to develop, soccer began to offer opportunities that neither could have imagined when they first started playing.
 
Each year, a representative from Montverde Academy in Florida traveled to Africa looking for potential athletes. Although searching for current talent and prowess, the academy also harped on strong grades, character, and overall potential.
 
Quickly, the representative landed on Mandiang and Pouye. The opportunity was too good to pass up, and eventually, the families agreed to send their boys overseas to continue developing for a chance at the pros.
 
The transition was tough for the pair, both on- and off-the-pitch as the pair adjusted to their first-ever experience outside of Africa.
 
The pair acclimated well to the faster, more physical style of soccer played in North America and relied on each other as well as the handful of other stellar athletes from Brazil, Ghana, and Mexico, among other countries.
 
At Montverde, the roommates began attracting attention from NCAA programs across the country.
 
Through friendly conversation and mutual support, the pair discovered that five schools were recruiting both of them. Among them was the University of Central Florida (UCF), an established NCAA Div. I men's soccer program located in Orlando, Fla.
 
Although knowing that the pair were teammates and from Senegal, Pouye mentioned that UCF would call Mandiang and then call him, despite them being in the same room. Eventually, while on a Zoom with Mandiang, Pouye walked into frame and the UCF coaching staff had a major realization.
 
"They did not know we were roommates," Pouye recalled through a laugh. "One day, they were talking to him on video and I'm passing right behind and [the coaches] said, 'wait, why are you here? We were about to call you, so why don't you guys just sit together?'"
 
Eventually, Pouye visited campus and made the decision to attend UCF. One week later, Mandiang followed, committing to play for the Knights with his best friend.
 
Joining an established program as a young student-athlete can provide many challenges, among them is playing up to the high standards set by the program and teammates. Pouye constantly described the experience as, "humbling."
 
"We were used to playing all the time," Pouye said. "You get players older than you, maybe slightly better because they understand the game better than you. So, it was very humbling."
 
Mandiang and Pouye had to fight for their positions in the rotation which forced them to work harder and raise themselves to the team's standard.
 
In their freshman year, Mandiang suffered a shoulder injury which sidelined him for the season; meanwhile, Pouye appeared in two games on the squad that eventually reached No. 1 in the rankings but fell short of their goals.
 
The pair decided a change of scenery was best, once again embarking on separate recruiting journeys through the transfer portal after the 2024 season.
 
While the pair navigated the transfer portal individually, two or three programs recruited both, and one of them was UTRGV. After narrowing their respective options to two schools, the Vaqueros were the lone program remaining on both lists.
 
Pouye was the first to decide, calling UTRGV Head Men's Soccer Coach Bryheem Hancock and committing to become a Vaquero. Hancock soon called Mandiang to tell him the great news, and one day later, Mandiang committed as well. Once again, their journeys aligned.
 
"The biggest thing in recruiting Mouhamed and Malang was how good of human beings they were and still are," Hancock said. "Both are so intelligent and gracious with big smiles every time you see them. That's what really stuck out to me. They are selfless people who care about representing the school, program, and Valley the right way."
 
The pair committed to UTRGV understanding that the 2025 season would be an abnormal year. With the Vaqueros set to join the Ohio Valley Conference in 2026, the program would spend the 2025 season as an NCAA Div. I independent.
 
Without a conference championship or automatic NCAA Tournament bid, the Vaqueros found success few and far between last season, ultimately finishing 1-7-2, with its lone win coming against Texas A&M International.
 
However, the duo experienced individual growth and received the opportunities Hancock and UTRGV Associate Head Men's Soccer Coach Sheldon Cipriani promised during the recruiting process.
 
"Even though the results weren't great, what we were told from the coaches to make us come here," Pouye said. "We were still seeing that from them. They trusted us the whole time."
 
Pouye viewed 2025 as an opportunity to play, learn, and improve. He spent much of his soccer life as a winger/forward, but UTRGV gave him opportunities in the midfield and other positions. The change was noticed immediately during the summer circuit of 2026, when former coaches, advisors, and teammates noticed a marketable improvement in his game.


"I got a lot of feedback from our old coaches that saw us play in the summer," Pouye said. "They told us, 'Hey, you all improved a lot,' and I credit all of that to [Hancock and Cipriani]."
 
Mandiang had a similar philosophy. After limited playing time at UCF, suddenly he was getting significant minutes as a striker, winger, and attacking midfielder. He described the season as a learning process.
 
"I had a lot of playing time, and I just tried to improve every single day," Mandiang said. "I was playing sometimes as a striker and before I was always playing wingback or 10, so I think it was a learning process."
 
But entering the 2026 season, the pair had a decision to make, should I stay or should I go? Hancock consistently expressed his desire for Mandiang and Pouye to stay and lead this team into their new conference during the 2026 season.
 
"The coaches called us and said, 'hey, we're building something next year, and we want you guys to be part of that,'" Pouye recalled. "For us, that's very important because there's someone out there who actually wants you to be part of what they're building."
 
The duo took all their experience into account while making the decision and concluded that their work wasn't finished in the Valley.
 
"I just want to win," Mandiang said. "I want to leave a legacy here."
 
"And, I'm just a stubborn guy," Pouye added. "There is no way I'm leaving like this. This year is like revenge."
 
Alongside Mandiang and Pouye, seven other Vaqueros decided to return for the 2026 season.
 
"I don't even want to call them returners," Pouye said. "They are like survivors because they did everything they could last year. And even if it was hard, they still decided to stay."
 
As the team began to take shape with 16 newcomers, the group came together in a player-only meeting to discuss expectations for the new season. This year, the goal isn't to survive. It's time to win.
 
"Both have shown great leadership in their own ways," Hancock said. "Pouye has been a leader from day one with how hard he prepares himself every day. He has shown how vocal he can be in stressful moments on the field to give the team a calming influence."
 
"Malang has a different but just as effective form of leadership with the way he connects with each player more off the field, and also with the amount of selfless work he puts in on the field," Hancock added. "He comes in with the same level of positive energy at the start of practice and keeps it through the end of practice."
 
For the first time in 692 days, Mandiang and Pouye will step onto the pitch for a conference match, helping lead the Vaqueros into their first OVC match as UTRGV hosts reigning conference champion Lindenwood on Saturday.
 
And this time, the Vaqueros are on the hunt for something tangible at the end of the season.
 
"Through my four years in college, I have no rings," Pouye talking about rings. "I don't want to play four or five years in college without a ring, I want it."
 
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