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MLS Combine Preview (and some Day One Updates)

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It is a frigid and rainy day in Fort Lauderdale as Major League Soccer's top draft prospects prepare to play in the 2010 MLS Player Combine. It's a truly miserable day, but one the potential draftees will have to endure.

Before I get to our primer on the Combine, here are some tidbits MLS fans will be interested in:

New York Red Bulls fans wondering who will be scouting prospects and running the draft will be happy to hear that former technical director Jeff Agoos will not be part of that process. General manager Erik Soler and assistant coaches Richie Williams and Des McAleenan will be doing the scouting this weekend. Newly-hired Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe isn't expected to attend the Combine.

As for Agoos, he is not here in Florida and sources tell me Agoos has been sent off on a scouting mission in Brazil. It seems like odd timing considering it is the week of the MLS Combine and Draft. You can draw your own conclusions.

U.S. Under-17 national team midfielder Luis Gil has not signed with Major League Soccer, but there is still a possibility that he will sign. The chances aren't great, but talks have not ended. So why is MLS struggling to sign one of the best young midfield prospects in American youth soccer? It could be a combination of the fact that MLS has signed such a large Generation adidas class that it's available funds for an offer aren't enough to get a deal done, as well as the uncertainty of where a 16-year-old midfielder would be selected in Thursday's draft. if he signs, our money is on Chivas USA or Los Angeles grabbing him in the first round.

MLS Drafts are always made a bit more entertaining by the moves of Toronto FC Director of Soccer Mo Johnston, but this year could be different. Why? TFC does not have a first-round pick (yet) and is presently maxed out of its American player slots, so unless Toronto can deal away an American or two, it could be a quiet week for TFC (Yes, I know, this probably means TFC will be dealing Chad Barrett and/or some other Americans for a first-round pick). Stay tuned.

———————-

Now, onto the MLS Combine Primer we promised you for last night (we'll blame a nightmare hotel room and lack of internet access for the delay):

MLS COMBINE SCHEDULE (and potential match-ups to watch)

SATURDAY

2:30 PM Condivo vs. F50i

Danny Mwanga and Andrew Wiedeman vs. Ike Opara and Zack Loyd

Tony Tchani vs. Ross LaBauex

Kwame Watson-Siriboe vs. Bright Dike

4:15 PM Predator X vs. Jabulani

Amobi Okugo and Toni Stahl vs. Corben Bone and Blair Gavin

Andre Akpan vs. Chris Schuler

Seth Sinovic vs. Dilly Duka

Teal Bunbury and Zach Schilawski vs. Tim Ream and Phil Edgington

SUNDAY

2:30 PM Predator X vs. Condivo

Andre Akpan and Jack McInerney vs. Ike Opara and Zach Loyd

Mike Seamon vs. Ryan Peterman

Phil Edgington vs. Bright Dike

4:15PM F50i vs. Jabulani

Teal Bunbury and Zach Schilawski vs. Kwame Watson-Siriboe and Nick Cardenas

Chris Schuler vs. David Walker

Collen Warner vs. Oforie Sarkodie

TUESDAY

9:30 AM Jabulani vs. Condivo

11:15 AM Predator X vs. F50i

COMBINE TEAMS 

(Projected lineups aren't the starting lineups, just our projected of first-choice lineups. Lineups will change every match as all players are given chances to start.)

TEAM JABULANI

Coaches: Jorge Salcedo (UCLA) and Nathan Williams (Placer United Soccer Club)

Brooks Haggerty (University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill)

Chris Schuler (Creighton University)

Kris Banghart (University of Denver)

Olukorede Aiyegbusi (North Carolina State University)

Ben Clack (St. John’s University)

Adam Welch (Lehigh University)

Kevin Tangney (University of Maryland)

Dilly Duka (Rutgers University)

Kyle Nakazawa (University of California – Los Angeles)

Toni Stahl (University of Connecticut)

Amobi Okugo (University of California – Los Angeles)

Two-Boys Gumede (University of Alabama – Birmingham)

Collen Warner (University of Portland)

Mike Pezza (University of Connecticut)

Teal Bunbury (University of Akron)

Zack Schilawski (Wake Forest University)

David Estrada (University of California – Los Angeles)

Jason Yeisley (Penn State University)

PROJECTED LINEUP

—————Bunbury—————–Schilawski—————–

—–Duka——————–Okugo—————–Nakazawa—

———————————-Stahl———————————–

Aiyegbusi——Schuler—————Banghart———Welch

——————————–Haggarty——————————-

Clack, Estrada, Gumede, Pezza, Tangney, Warner, Yeisley

TEAM PREDATOR X

Coaches: Matthew Spear (Davidson College) and Brad Wylde (Charlotte Soccer Academy)

Jovan Bubonja (University of Illinois – Chicago)

Phil Edginton (University of Louisville)

Tim Ream (St. Louis University)

Kwaku Nyamekye (Harvard University)

Chad Borak (California State University, Northridge)

Seth Sinovic (Creighton University)

Corben Bone (Wake Forest University)

Austin da Luz (Wake Forest University)

Michael Stephens (University of California – Los Angeles)

Blair Gavin (University of Akron)

Nane Joseph (Old Dominion University)

Mike Seamon (Villanova University)

Samuel Appiah (Boston University)

Andre Akpan (Harvard University)

John (Jack) McInerney (U-17 MNT)

Joseph (JT) Noone (Temple University)

Conor Chinn (University of San Francisco)

Mauro Fuzetti (University of Michigan)

PROJECTED LINEUP

——————–Akpan———McInerney——————–

——–Da Luz————Bone—————–Stephens——-

—————————–Gavin———————————-

Sinovic———Ream————–Edgington———–Borak

—————————-Bubojna———————————-

BENCH- Appiah, Chinn, Fuzetti, Joseph, Noone, Nyamekye, Seamon

TEAM F50i

Coaches: Bob Gray (Marshall University) and Larry Sunderland (Chicago Fire)

Sean Johnson (UCF)

John Moore (Stanford University)

Kwame Watson-Siriboe (University of Connecticut)

Nick Cardenas (San Diego State University)

Martin Hedevag (University of California – Santa Barbara)

Zac Herold (U-17 MNT)

Ofori Sarkodie (Indiana University)

Tennant McVea (Loyola University Maryland)

Pascal Milien (University of Tampa)

Nelson Becerra (St. John’s University)

Conor O'Brien (Bucknell University)

Justin Davis (University of New Mexico)

Irving Garcia (University of California – Irvine)

Ross LaBauex (University of Virginia)

Danny Mwanga (Oregon State University)

Andrew Wiedeman (University of California)

Ronnie Bouemboue (North Carolina State University)

David Walker (University of California – Santa Barbara)

Drew Yates (University of Maryland)

PROJECTED LINEUP

—————–Mwanga————-Wiedeman——————

—–Becerra—————-Yates—————-Bouemboue—

——————————-LaBauex——————————-

Sarkodie—–Watson-Siraboe—–Cardenas———–Herold

——————————Johnson———————————-

BENCH- Moore, Davis, Garcia, Hedevag, McVea, Milien, O’Brien, Walker

TEAM CONDIVO

Coaches: Michael Noonan (Brown University) and Leigh Cowlishaw (Richmond Kickers)

Brian Perk (University of California – Los Angeles)

Ike Opara (Wake Forest University)

Zach Loyd (University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill)

Tyler Barry (University of California)

Justin Morrow (University of Notre Dame)

Ryan Peterman (University of San Diego)

Julien Edwards (Drake University)

Nick Elenz-Martin (Brown University)

Steven Kinney (Elon University)

Eric Alexander (Indiana University)

Isaac Kissi (University of Dayton)

Fred Braun (University of Louisville)

Othaniel Yanez (University of Louisville)

Tony Tchani (University of Virginia)

Michael Thomas (University of Notre Dame)

Bright Dike (University of Notre Dame)

Steffen Vroom (Depaul University)

Andrew Hoxie (College of William & Mary)

PROJECTED LINEUP

——————–Dike———Vroom——————–

Braun——————-Tchani——————–Thomas

————————–Alexander————————-

Peterman——-Lloyd———Opara———–Morrow

—————————–Perk—————————–

BENCH- Barry, Edwards, Elenz-Martin, Hoxie, Kinney, Kissi, Vroom

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We will be providing live commentary from today's matches so stay tuned for that. For now, please feel free to share your thoughts on the Combine in the comments section below.

 

Comments

  1. My conclusion:

    Agoos=dead man walking.

    Maybe FC Dallas could fit him in someplace. That’s his home town. Or maybe DC United?

    Reply
  2. Great news that Agoos won’t be there. Not concerned about Backe not being there – the other guys can handle the draft. Backe probably wouldn’t understand what was going on anyway.

    I want to hear more about this nightmare hotel room, haha

    Reply
  3. It’s all related to the latest Adidas shoe lines or other related stuff (F50i is a shoe, as is Predator, and the Jabulani is the new World Cup ball), who are sponsoring the whole thing.

    Reply
  4. Ives, do you have any plans to post about some of the things being said around the hotel, i.e. what deals coaches and GMs are trying to make or which teams are targeting certain players? As far as I’m concerned, the behind-the-scenes news is always the most enlightening part of the combine.

    Reply
  5. Most Toronto FC fans would be willing to send Chad Barrett and his $200,000 contract/salary cap hit away for a Fifth Round pick and a couple of water bottles.

    That said history shows he would probably join former TFC players Cunningham + Casey in the fight for the goal scoring title next season.

    Reply

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