Clemson defender Justin Moore arrived at the 2006 adidas MLS Player Combine with a pretty good understanding of what to expect and how best to take advantage of what can be an intimidating situation.
His older brother, Jason Moore, was the first selection in the 1999 MLS SuperDraft, and he provided his younger sibling with plenty of advice for the three-day session at The Home Depot Center.
Jason Moore's five-year MLS career was a bit of a disappointment. The former U.S. youth national teamer, regarded as one of the country's finest prospects as a teenager, bounced among four teams before leaving the league after the 2003 season.
The midfielder played in 100 MLS games, playoffs included, started 63 of them and proved to be a satisfactory role player but never the star many expected.
"To be honest, he didn't take advantage of his opportunity, and he'll tell anybody that," Justin Moore said. "Being a big brother, he told me to take advantage of this opportunity, to enjoy it. Don't come out here and be too nervous, just take full advantage of it."
Moore has done so in the first two games, spending time at right back -- his normal position -- and holding midfielder for the adidas Plus 10 team. His plan has been to be the best team player possible, doing whatever is necessary to help Plus 10 win and not try to overreach while trying to impress MLS coaches.
"The (combine team) coaches sure like to get a victory out here, so I want to help my team," he said. "If you play well as a team, players will stick out."
Justin Moore says he has gained plenty from his brother's experience. D.C. United made Jason, five years older than Justin, the top draft pick in '99, when he came out the University of Virginia following his sophomore season. He played in 16 games that season, starting 12, and saw sparse action in three playoff games as D.C. captured its third MLS title in four seasons.
He was traded to Colorado the following season, started 36 regular-season games in two years, then went to Chicago in 2002 and New England in 2003.
"I got to train with two of his teams, which was great," Justin Moore said. "The first year, when he was with D.C., I got to play with (Marco) Etcheverry, so that was great. I've always looked up to him.
"Then in Colorado -- one of my favorite players is (Carlos) Valderrama, and I got to play with him. And just seeing how he is on and off the pitch really helped me a little bit. Playing with veterans really helped me."
END RESULT: Duke's Danny Kramer scored one of the most dramatic goals in combine history, finishing in literally the final second as adidas Predator Absolute (1-0-1) rallied for a 2-2 draw with adidas 7406 (0-0-2) in Saturday's first game.
Oral Roberts midfielder Jorge Flor converted a penalty kick, his combine-leading second goal, and Akron's Yohann Mauger scored on a spinning shot from a tough angle to give 7406 a 2-0 halftime lead. Mauger's shot was helped into the goal when Predator Absolute goalkeeper Pete Dzubay, from Michigan, mispunched the wet ball, and it landed in his net.
Predator Absolute, first place in the Combine standings, rallied as Temple's Tony Donatelli scored a sizzling goal from outside the box, then Kramer struck to even the score. The final whistle accompanied the ensuing kickoff.
Adidas Telstar (1-1-0) bounced back from its first-day loss with a 3-0 rout of adidas Plus 10 (0-1-1).
The consensus among MLS coaches and other observers was that Saturday's games offered far better displays than Friday's openers, the result of better chemistry in the teams and fewer jitters among players looking to impress.
"The games (Friday) were really poor, really disappointing," one MLS coach said. "Today we've seen some very good games and a few players really step up."
REMEMBERING '05: Umbrellas were de rigueur on the second day of the combine, as Southern California was soaked by an expected storm. Rain was intermittent, and it offered a reminder of last year's Player Combine, played in horrendous conditions at Home Depot Center.
"This is nothing like last year," one coach noted. "We really can't complain."
MLS coaches, scattered around the track and field stadium's bleachers when it was beautiful and in the 70s on Friday, hovered together under a canopy at the top of the bleachers on Saturday.
Although plans for rain were to move the games to the synthetic Field 5 at The Home Depot Center's primary training complex -- site of last year's Combine -- league officials decided conditions weren't so bad.
The biggest impact during action was Michigan goalkeeper Pete Dzubay's misplay of a shot by Akron's Yohann Mauger. Dzubay tried to punch the ball away, but instead knocked it into his net. Had conditions been dry, he likely would have had no trouble with the ball.
Sunday's forecast calls for another lovely day, much like Friday.
OOPS DEPT.: In an item on combine players' famous relatives, we mentioned four players -- St. John's Jeff Carroll, Georgetown's Jim Curtin, UCLA's Patrick Ianni and Clemson's Justin Moore -- who have brothers who play or have played in MLS. We missed one.
Connecticut defender Willis Forko's brother, Sam, another UConn product, played nine games with the MetroStars in 2002.
QUADRUPLEHEADER: Fans, media, even a few coaches can count on a full day of soccer Sunday. The final combine doubleheader begins at 9 a.m. PT, and when it's done, action moves to the main stadium for the InterLiga finals.
The annual, eight-team tournament determines Mexico's final two entrants for Copa Libertadores, South America's club championship. Apertura runner-up Monterrey faces crosstown rival Tigres UANL at 3 p.m., a rematch of a sizzling semifinal encounter in the Apertura playoffs last month. Fan favorite Guadalajara takes on Veracruz at 5:30, and the doubleheader is already a sellout (27,000).
Veteran soccer reporter Scott French is an assistant sports editor at the Los Angeles Daily News. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
