MLS SuperDraft Combine Preview

Robbie Findley, who used the 2007 MLS adidas Player Combine as a springboard to success as a rookie in the league, has some tips for the players who will compete in this year's event, which begins Saturday morning at Lockhart Stadium.

"Don't try to overdo things just because you know all these coaches and scouts are watching," said Findley, a 5-9, 165-pound forward born in Phoenix. "Play your game. Keep things as simple as you can."

"The weather in South Florida, with all the heat and humidity, is tough," he said. "I remember one game we played in midday that was especially hard. But it doesn't matter. You have to put your boots on and focus on the game."

If you have an interview with a team, take it serious, Findley said. "The Los Angeles Galaxy was the only team that interviewed me at the combine," he said. "I didn't think too much of it at the time, but they ended up drafting me in the second round (16th overall)."

Findley, who was named First Team All Pac-10 three times at Oregon State University and is the school's third-highest career scorer, played his first nine pro games with the Galaxy. He started three games and scored twice.

But on June 21, he and Nathan Sturgis were traded to Real Salt Lake in exchange for midfielder Chris Klein.

"It was a complete shock to me," Findley said. "I didn't hear anything about it until it happened."

Real Salt Lake was winless (0-5-6) when they made the trade, and Findley provided an immediate spark. He scored two goals in his debut with his new team, carrying RSL to its first win, 2-1 against D.C. United.

Findley is only the 11th player in league history to score two goals in his debut with a team.

But it wasn't just beginner's luck. On Aug. 4 -- his 22nd birthday -- Findley scored in the 84th minute to beat Houston 1-0.

His third game-winning goal for RSL came on the last day of the 2007 regular season. He scored in the 87th minute to beat Colorado 1-0.

To summarize, RSL was winless in 11 games without Findley. And of the team's six wins after the trade, half came with the help of Findley's game-winning goals.

"We won a few games and finished pretty strong," said Findley, who has two cousins playing big-time pro ball -- Mike Bibby with the NBA's Sacramento Kings and Shaun McDonald of the NFL's Detroit Lions. "Now our goal is to make the playoffs."

Of course, Findley's pro journey began in earnest with last year's MLS Combine.

Any more tips?

"It's natural to be a little nervous because you are thrown in with random players," Findley said. "But you have to play with confidence."

That journey begins Saturday morning for more than 60 players at Lockhart Stadium.

Walter Villa is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.