NEW YORK - The 2005 adidas MLS Player Combine gets underway on Sunday, January 9 beginning with two matches kicking off at 1:00 p.m. PT in the Track and Field Stadium at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California. The 74 players participating in the event will all look to impress the general managers and coaching staffs of the 12 MLS clubs in attendance ahead of the 2005 MLS SuperDraft on Friday, January 14 at the Baltimore Convention Center.
The players were split into four teams each led by four of the most prominent coaches on the collegiate levels: Cam Rast (Santa Clara), Jorge Salcedo (UCLA), Bobby Clark (Notre Dame) and Jay Vidovich (Wake Forest). Each team will play the other three between Sunday, Jan. 9 and Tues. Jan. 11. Following the afternoon session on Sunday, Jan. 9, the schedule will return to a morning schedule on Jan. 10 and Jan. 11 with doubleheader matches at 9:00 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. local time.
The Player Combine takes place just a few days before the 2005 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas, which will be held in Baltimore, Maryland on Friday, January 14 (12:00 p.m. ET) in conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention at the Baltimore Convention Center. A total of 42 players who participated in the 2004 Player Combine were eventually selected in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft, in which a total of 60 players were drafted.
The first hour of the 2005 MLS SuperDraft will be televised live on Fox Sports World while fans can watch the live webcast of all four rounds of the MLS SuperDraft on the League's official web site at www.MLSnet.com.
Sunday, January 9 (all times Pacific)
Game 1 (1:00pm) - adidas Predator Pulse 2 vs. adidas F50 + (Home Depot Center - Track and Field Stadium)
Game 2 (2:45pm) - adidas Premio vs. adidas Aveiro (Home Depot Center - Track and Field Stadium)
Monday, January 10 (all times Pacific)
Game 1 (9:00am) - adidas F50 + vs. adidas Aveiro (Home Depot Center - Track and Field Stadium)
Game 2 (10:45am) - adidas Predator Pulse 2 vs. adidas Premio (Home Depot Center - Track and Field Stadium)
Goalkeeper Session (12:15 - 1:00pm) - Home Depot Center - Track and Field Stadium
Tuesday, January 11 (all times Pacific)
Game 1 (9:00am) - adidas F50+ vs. adidas Premio (Home Depot Center - Track and Field Stadium)
Game 2 (10:45am) - adidas Predator Pulse 2 vs. Aveiro (Home Depot Center - Track and Field Stadium)
