The 2015 adidas MLS Player Combine will begin in earnest on Friday, when the 72 participating players will look to strut their stuff for MLS technical staffs at Central Broward Regional Park outside Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Attending players will be broken into four teams at the Combine – Nitro Charge, Predator, adiZero and Nativo. All four teams will play three games in Florida, with matches scheduled for Friday, Sunday and Tuesday.
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All matches are open to the public, with tickets available for purchase at the gate on each matchday ($10/cash only); admission includes both matches on that day.
The participating players will also have a chance to impress on Saturday and Monday, when they’ll have opportunities to sit down for interviews with interested clubs.
Some names to look out for include Washington midfielder and Generation adidas signee Cristian Roldan, Oregon State senior forward and MLS signee Khiry Shelton and Notre Dame senior midfielder Nick Besler, another MLS signee and, yes, Matt Besler’s little brother.
All players will be looking to put their best foot forward, as a strong Combine could potentially rocket a player up draft boards for next Thursday’s 2015 MLS SuperDraft in Philadelphia. Need proof? Take a look at 2014 MLS Rookie of the Year Tesho Akindele, whose stellar Combine performance moved him from a relative unknown to the sixth overall pick by FC Dallas.
SCHEDULE
Friday, January 9: Matchday 1
- 2:00 p.m. ET – Nitro Charge vs. Predator
- 3:45 p.m. ET – adiZero vs. Nativo
Saturday, January 10: Player interviews with clubs
Sunday, January 11: Matchday 2
- 12:00 p.m. ET – Nitro Charge vs. adiZero
- 1:45 p.m. ET – Predator vs. Nativo
Monday, January 12: Player interviews with clubs
Tuesday, January 13: Matchday 3
- 10:00 a.m. ET – adiZero vs. Predator
- 11:45 a.m. ET – Nitro Charge vs. Nativo
