FRISCO, Texas — After coming one game short of making the 2010 NCAA Men’s College Cup, it’s no surprise that two members of the Southern Methodist University’s men’s soccer team will be among the players trying to catch the eyes of pro scouts in the 2011 MLS Combine in January.
Defender Leone Cruz, who starred in 67 games in his career at SMU, will head to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., joined by midfielder Josue Soto (pictured above), who scored seven goals and dished out seven assists as a senior to run his college total up to 23 goals and 27 assists in 74 career games.
Cruz is a 6'0" defender who played mostly on the right as a senior, but according to Mustangs head coach Tim McClements, that only scratches the surface.
“He’s a very technical back with good size who has the ability to distribute and attack out of the back,” McClements said. “I think he has a lot to offer as a player that’s good in the air, solid on the ground, has good passing range, good size and a really high soccer IQ.
“This year, we played him primarily at right back but that’s because of our needs as a team, added McClements. “He can [also] play center back or defensive midfield.”
The SMU head coach also raved about Soto and what the playmaker meant to his team in 2010.
“The thing I think that [Soto] has really added to his game this year is really being a two-way player,” McClements noted. “I imagine he would find himself somewhere in the midfield either behind the strikers or out wide with a little bit of freedom to maybe tuck in.
“He’s a player whose vision and ability to put players on is just outstanding. He also scores his share of goals. I think it will be really interesting to see how things work out for him because he’s a player with a lot of ability.”
Following the end of SMU’s season in early December, Cruz quickly shifted his focus toward preparing for the MLS Combine in January and even went to a three-day camp in Seattle.
“I played center back. I felt comfortable back there,” Cruz said. “I had a good backline to play with – that always makes it a lot easier, when you’re surrounded by good players. … Overall, I felt pretty comfortable with the speed of play. It was nice, getting to play with guys of that talent level because you have a lot more trust in them doing the things that you would expect them to do. There are no surprises.”
He has also worked closely with one of his coaches from the Mustangs, Phil Wolf, to map out his training regimen until the beginning of the combine.
Cruz and Soto have been working out together for much of the time leading up to Christmas break and the duo planned on resuming their workouts right after the holiday season.
One thing Cruz has done is pick the brain of ex-teammates Jeff Harwell, who was invited to last year's combine, and Bruno Guarda, currently a midfielder with FC Dallas.
“[Harwell] gave me some very positive advice as far as going in there and just sticking with the game that we know how to play,” said Cruz. “[He said] to not do anything different or anything that’s unnatural for us to do as players, … to stick to our strengths and to go out there and really be confident in our abilities.
“I kept in touch with Bruno quite a bit throughout his season in MLS. I have picked his brain quite a bit here and there. Every little edge helps and every little piece of information helps.”
