MLS Combine Player List Released

The initial player list for the 2009 Adidas MLS Player Combine has been released and includes 65 of the top players in NCAA Division I college soccer. The combine will be held between January 9^th and 13^th in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

The annual combine offers a select group of players one last chance to impress Major League Soccer coaches and executives before the MLS SuperDraft. The initial list of players will be supplemented before the combine by Generation adidas youth players, NAIA college players, and additional players from all three NCAA classifications.

The final group of players will be split into four teams. The four teams will then play round robin format against one another. Santa Clara University head coach Cam Rast, Providence coach Chaka Daley, Notre Dame head-man Bobby Clark, and Indiana assistant Caleb Porter have been called in to lead the four teams.

Among the player invited were eight semifinalists for the MAC Herman trophy which is the top individual award for college soccer players. Traditional college soccer powerhouse Wake Forest University will be well represented. The combine will showcase no fewer than five Demon Deacons.

Twelve players from the 2008 combine were selected in first round of the SuperDraft and 43 of the 58 players drafted last year participated in the combine.

The first game at the combine will be held at 2:30 pm ET. Lockhart stadium will host all six combine matches and the matches will be open to the public.

All 15 MLS teams will have representatives in Ft. Lauderdale for the combine. The 2009 MLS SuperDraft will be held on the 15^th of January in St. Louis, Missouri.

2009 ADIDAS MLS PLAYER COMBINE LIST BY POSITION

GOALKEEPERS (7): Chris Brown (Boston College); Evan Bush (University of Akron); Steward Ceus (University of Albany); Alec Dufty (University of Evansville); Neal Kitson (St. John’s University); Milos Kocic (Loyola College); Sean Milligan (Dartmouth College)

DEFENDERS (20): Lyle Adams (Wake Forest University); Calum Angus (Saint Louis University); Trevor Banks (Old Dominion University); Darius Barnes (Duke University); Rhett Bernstein (Brown University); Matt Besler (Notre Dame University); Evan Brown (Wake Forest University); Oscar Castillo (University of Connecticut); Chris Clements (University of Tulsa); AJ Delagarza (University of Maryland); Paul Gerstenberger (Boston College); David Hertel (Michigan State University); Wes Knight (College of Charleston); Otto Loewy (Winthrop University); Yohance Marshall (University of South Florida); Ryan Mirsky (Southern Methodist University); Babjide Ogunbiyi (Santa Clara University); Kyle Russell (Coastal Carolina University); Seth Sinovic (Creighton University); Jack Traynor (Notre Dame University)

MIDFIELDERS/FORWARDS (39): Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe (George Mason University); Quincy Amarikwa (University of California-Davis); Brandon Barklage (Saint Louis University); Josh Boateng (Liberty University); Graciano Brito (Quinnipiac University); Pav Castenada (Duke University); Aaron Clapham (University of Louisville); Raphael Cox (University of Washington); Sam Cronin (Wake Forest University); Dylan Curtis (University of California-Davis); Doug DeMartin (Michigan State University); Jokul Elisabetarson (University of North Carolina-Greensboro); Michael Fucito (Harvard University); Andrei Gotsmanov (Creighton University); Mike Grella (Duke University); Alex Grendi (University of Pennsylvania); Juan Guerra (Florida International University); Jeffrey Harwell (Southern Methodist University); Bryan Irwin (University of Portland); Richard Jata (Campbell University); George John (University of Washington); Keum Sung Kim (Loyola University); Michael Lahoud (Wake Forest University); Ryan Maduro (Providence College); Patrick Murray (Furman University); Kyle Patterson (Saint Louis University); Nick Perra (University of California-Santa Barbara); Chris Pontius (University of California-Santa Barbara); Matt Poole (University of Virginia); Akeem Priestley (University of Connecticut); Daniel Revivo (Winthrop University); Tosaint Ricketts (University of Wisconsin-Green Bay); Brad Ring (Indiana University); Chris Salvaggionne (University of North Carolina-Charlotte); Jordan Seabrook (University of South Florida); Marcus Tracy (Wake Forest University); Nick Zimmerman (James Madison University); Graham Zusi (University of Maryland)

 --Allen Ramsey, Goal.com