The arduous quest for professional soccer reaches a climactic moment this weekend for more than 60 talented players invited to the 2008 adidas MLS Player Combine in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Top collegiate and youth prospects will train and be divided into four teams that will compete against each other Jan. 11-15 in front of all of Major League Soccer's coaches and scouts.
The rosters, game schedule and coaches for the Combine are listed below.
In the coming days, this year's class of Generation adidas players - the top underclassmen and youth players identified by MLS, the U.S. Soccer Federation, and adidas -- will be announced to complete the Combine rosters.
The Combine gives MLS coaches and general managers a final chance to evaluate talent in preparation for their draft day selections. MLS SuperDraft takes place on Jan. 18, in Baltimore, Md. at 2 p.m. (ESPN2/MLSnet.com).
Last year, John Cunliffe of Fort Lewis College used the Combine as a springboard to MLS by logging a goal and three assists just days before Chivas USA selected him with the No. 7 pick overall in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. As a rookie, Cunliffe scored three goals and added an assist in 15 appearances for Chivas USA's first team. Also performing well at last year's Combine were Wells Thompson (Wake Forest/New England Revolution) and Robbie Findley (Oregon State University/Real Salt Lake), both of whom had impressive rookie campaigns.
As the Combine signals the transition from amateur to professional, it also connects the youth, college, and pro game in a singular event. Thus, adidas selected both college and youth coaches to instruct and lead the four teams.
Combine participation is by invitation only. A committee of NCAA Division I coaches from every conference, along with MLS representatives, chose seniors who have completed their college eligibility from schools throughout the country.
The rosters will also include three invitees from South America (two from Argentina and one from Uruguay) and Generation adidas players. All Combine participants are automatically eligible for the SuperDraft.
Among those eager to prove themselves against the rest of the best are three members of the 2008 NCAA Champions from Wake Forest University - Goalkeeper Brian Edwards, defender Julian Valentin, and midfielder/defender Pat Phelan. Also among the elite group of seniors below are 14 players selected to the 2008 NSCAA All-America teams.
The players were divided into the following teams:
adidas adiPure
Brian Edwards (Wake Forest University)
Matt Allen (Creighton University)
* Sean Franklin (California State University of Northridge)
Matt Hatzke (Santa Clara University)
Shea Salinas (Furman University)
Jonathan Leathers (Furman University)
Ely Allen (University of Washington)
Eric Brunner (The Ohio State University)
George Josten (Gonzaga)
Peter Lowry (Santa Clara University)
* Pat Phelan (Wake Forest University)
Ricardo Pierre-Louis (Lee University)
Michael Videira (Duke University)
Geoff Cameron (University of Rhode Island)
Maximiliano Damiano (Argentina)
Yomby William (Old Dominion University)
Coaches: Bobby Muuss (Denver University) and Oliver Wyss (West Coast FC)
adidas adiTunit
Andrew Kartunen (Stanford University)
* Stephen King (University of Maryland)
Jonathan Sabbatini (Argentina)
Jeremy Barlow (University of Virginia)
Matthew Britner (Brown University)
Hugh Cronin (North Carolina State University)
Pavle Dundjer (University of Illinois - Chicago)
Andre Sherard (University of North Carolina)
Cesar Zambrano (University of Illinois - Chicago)
El-Hadj Cisse (North Carolina State University)
Julius James (University of Connecticut)
Sherron Manswell (Boston College)
Brandon Owens (University of California - Los Angeles)
Keith Savage (University of West Florida)
Coaches: Ed Kelly (Boston College) and Chris Apple (Rochester Jr. Rhinos)
adidas Predator PowerServe
Dominic Cervi (University of Tulsa)
Casey Latchem (The Ohio State University)
Eric Burkholder (University of Tulsa)
Mike Zaher (University of California - Los Angeles)
Adrian Chevannes (Southern Methodist University)
Lucas Fernandez (Argentina)
Kevin Forrest (University of Washington)
Joe Germanese (Duke University)
Brian Grazier (Saint Louis University)
Pat Healey (Towson University)
Kai Kasiguran (Messiah College)
Corey Sipos (University of Akron)
Dan Stratford (West Virginia University)
Rauwshan McKenzie (Michigan State University)
Andrew Jacobson (University of California - Berkeley)
David Horst (Old Dominion University)
Coaches: Greg Andrulis (George Mason University) and Victor Pastora (Kendall Soccer Coalition)
adidas Trofeo
AJ Kulp (Old Dominion University)
David Roth (Northwestern University)
Xavier Balc (The Ohio State University)
Ryan Cordeiro (University of Connecticut)
Ryan Miller (University of Notre Dame)
Luke Sassano (University of California - Berkeley)
Ben Shuleva (Southern Methodist University)
Lukasz Tumicz (University of Rhode Island)
* Julian Valentin (Wake Forest University)
David Worthen (University of North Carolina - Greensboro)
Scott Bolkan (Stanford University)
Andy Iro (University of California - Santa Barbara)
Scott Campbell (University of North Carolina)
Coaches: Tim Lenahan (Northwestern University) and Jose Fernando Hernandez (St. Louis Soccer Club)
* Players currently with the U.S. U-23 National Team. They will be available only for games on Sunday, Jan. 13.
MLS PLAYER COMBINE GAME SCHEDULE
All games are open to the public. All times eastern; Schedule subject to change.
Saturday, January 12
10:00 AM: Predator PowerServe vs. adiTunit (Lockhart Stadium)
12:00 PM: adiPure vs. adidas Trofeo (Lockhart Stadium)
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM: Clinic for Broward Schools (MLS Coaches to Instruct; Lockhart Stadium)
Sunday, January 13
10:00 AM: adiTunit vs. adidas Trofeo (Lockhart Stadium)
12:00 PM: Predator PowerServe vs adiPure (Lockhart Stadium)
Tuesday, January 15
9:00 AM: Predator PowerServe vs adidas Trofeo (Lockhart Stadium)
10:45 AM: adiPure vs adiTunit (Lockhart Stadium)
