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MLS Taps Four from Ivy League for Player Combine
Created: 12/16/2009 12:43:11 PM
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 Courtesy of MLSnet.com
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Major League Soccer announced on Thursday the initial list of 62 college seniors from 44 Division I schools who have been invited to participate in the 2010 adidas MLS Player Combine. The annual player combine will be held at Central Broward Regional Park in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Jan. 8-12, 2010. The schedule for the player combine is also included below.
The coaching and management staffs of all 16 MLS teams will be in attendance to scout talent at the 2010 adidas MLS Player Combine, which concludes two days before the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. At the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, considered one of the best talent pools in SuperDraft history, 42 of the 60 players drafted attended the 2009 adidas MLS Player Combine; 10 combine players were selected in the first round. The 2010 MLS SuperDraft will be held on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010 in Philadelphia.
The list of invitees is highlighted by four players from the Ivy League. Led by 2009 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy finalist and Ivy League Player of the Year Andre Akpan (Grand Prairie, Texas), the Ancient Eight will also be represented by Akpan's Harvard teammate Kwaku Nyamekye (Geneva, Switzerland), as well as Brown's Nick Elenz-Martin (Encinitas, Calif.) and Dartmouth's Craig Henderson (Wellington, New Zealand).
A year ago, with the aid of strong combine performances, Ivy Leaguers Alex Grendi (Penn) and Michael Fucito (Harvard) were drafted by the the Columbus Crew and Seattle Sounders FC, respectively.
The initial player list was determined by a select panel of Division I college coaches representing all conferences who nominated and voted for players in conjunction with MLS coaches. Youth players from the Generation adidas program will join additional collegiate players from NCAA Division II and III schools, NAIA schools and Division I alternates to finalize the 2010 adidas MLS Player Combine. The final player list and team assignments will be announced in the coming weeks.
The 2010 adidas MLS Player Combine will separate all players into four teams and feature two games per day at Central Broward Regional Park on Jan. 9, 10 and 12. Each team will be led by an experienced Division I coach who will be assisted by an experienced soccer professional. Davidson University Head Coach, Matthew Spear has been selected to coach Team Predator X, along with Executive Director of the South Charlotte Soccer Association Brad Wylde. Michael Noonan, head coach at Brown University will coach Team Condivo along with Leigh Cowlishaw, head coach of the Richmond Kickers of USL-2. University of California - Los Angeles Head Coach Jorge Salcedo will lead Team Jabulani along with Placer United Soccer Club Coach Nathan Williams. Todd Yeagley, head coach at the University of Wisconsin will lead Team F50i along with Larry Sunderland, Director of Player Personnel for the Chicago Fire.
The Westin Beach Resort Fort Lauderdale will serve as the official headquarters of the adidas MLS Player Combine and the host hotel for players and coaching staffs.
MLS PLAYER COMBINE GAME SCHEDULE
All times eastern and schedule is subject to change. All games will be held on the Main Event Field.
Saturday, January 9
3 pm - Predator X vs. Jabulani
4:45 pm - Condivo vs. F50i
Sunday, January 10
2 pm - Predator X vs. Condivo
3:45 pm - F50i vs. Jabulani
Tuesday, January 12
9:30 am - Jabulani vs. Condivo
11:15 am - Predator X vs. F50i
For the full list of players participating in the combine, head to the official MLS release.
- A.S.
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Related Schools: Brown, Dartmouth, Harvard
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Related Sports: Soccer
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