FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Although it took the athletes a couple days of games in the adidas MLS Player Combine to finally show what they were made of, the wait was definitely worth it as several unsung performers grabbed the spotlight on Monday.
Even though the highly touted participants put forth decent performances, it was the play of the unknowns who made observers wonder if this class of participants might indeed rise out of Friday's SuperDraft and become the future of Major League Soccer.
The biggest surprise was in the group of defenders that took part, as a number of quality backs showed potential of making the next step to the professional level. Mike Sambursky (University of South Carolina), who played in the right back position for most of the Combine, showed confidence and brought stability to his team's rearguard despite not playing in his natural position.
"I think he had a great three games," said John Rennie, Duke University head coach who was in charge of combine team adidas Azteca. "He played a lot of offensive positions in college, and when he and I talked, we figured out that playing as an outside back might be something that would suit him best. He's not really experienced defensively, but he is really good with the ball. He holds the ball well and doesn't panic, which allows him to move the ball out of the backfield very well. He is strong, hard-working kid and I think he did very well this weekend."
Jay Needham (Southern Methodist University) and Ryan Solle (Wake Forest University) both caught the attention of those in attendance as they both proved to be solid defenders in the back, showing confidence in their abilities as each game progressed.
"I think Jay is going to well," said adidas Teamgeist head coach Mike Noonan (Brown University). "He is a solid citizen as well as a good player and leader. I think the intangibles that he brings are going to be very valuable to the team."
Added Rennie: "I've known Ryan for four years as an athlete at Wake Forest and he is just one of those guys that just does everything you want him to do. He's not flashy, but a very, very consistent player. I think his future in the draft would depend on the coach who is looking for that type of player. He's only going to get better so it would be good for them to look in his direction."
The quality of midfielders was not as high as expected after the first two days of the Combine. The final day started to show a few standouts in the center of the park as it was clear the participants had gotten used to playing together.
Greg Dalby (University of Notre Dame) proved that he could play either as a center back or central midfielder with confidence and consistency.
"Greg is very solid and I think he will do well this coming weekend," said John Trask, University of Illinois-Chicago and adidas Tricolore head coach, who was also an assistant coach for D.C. United. "He has represented the country on several different levels already in his young career. He is strong and disciplined, and very much the professional. He was the first guy that I saw this morning, getting himself ready to compete and that is a quality that is great to see out of some of these guys."
Both Nico Colaluca (University of Virginia) and Sinisa Ubiparipovic (University of Akron) had showed spurts of quality play, but were inconsistent throughout the first two days. In the final session, both finally showed sparks of why they were so highly touted as each notched his first goal of the Combine.
"[Ubiparipovic] is an interesting player and I think with today's performance, more people took notice of what type of soccer player he truly is," said Trask.
John Cunliffe of Fort Lewis University was the lone Division II participant, and he recorded the best overall performance for the Combine, finishing the weekend with one goal and three assists. Cunliffe's stock could rise significantly as he proved to be a very feisty player who always had some part in the attack.
"He was an unknown commodity coming into this event, by any stretch of the imagination and he certainly proved his worth," said adidas Tango head coach Greg Andrulis (George Mason University), a former head coach of the Columbus Crew.
If scouts were hoping to see a deep field of forwards in this year's Combine, they were greatly disappointed, as only a few stood out.
Jarrod Kent (Old Dominion University) came out of nowhere during the final day of the Combine, scoring two quality goals for his team. Kent, a sub in the first half of the third game of the weekend, provided Tango with a spark they had been missing the whole Combine. Although he might not go early on Friday, he definitely caught the attention of the MLS coaches in attendance as he powered his shots into the back of the net.
Robbie Findley (Oregon State University) proved that he was an impressive all-around quality player. After scoring a goal on the first day, he was quiet on the scoreboard, but was influential in helping to develop the attack.
Despite the slow start and the average performances by some on the first two days, the Combine proved MLS coaches with the opportunity to verify their information on draft choices that they had been collecting all year long.
"It is really hard to judge on a couple of days," said Los Angeles Galaxy president Alexi Lalas. "As a coach, if you've done your homework, and you spent the time you need to, this is just confirming what you feel and this might help you find that one player who might be rising to the occasion."
Nicole Dupes is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
