The list of players invited to the MLS combine has been announced. http://www.mlsnet.com/MLS/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20041202&content_id=19818&vkey=news_mls&fext=.jsp Again this year I should be able to attend the combine at the Home Depot Center on January 8-11. Is there anyone you think I should look for in particular? ... The List of Invited Players Goalkeepers -- 6 Jay Nolly -- Indiana Christopher Sawyer -- Notre Dame T.J. Tomasso -- Southern Methodist Noah Palmer -- Maryland Dan Kennedy -- Santa Barbara John O'Hara -- George Mason Midfield -- 19 Jamal Shteiwi -- Kentucky Kevon Harris -- Old Dominion John Minagowa-Webster -- Michigan State Luke Kreamaimeyer -- Bradley Michael Enfield -- UCLA Marcus Storley -- North Carolina Nick Van Sicklen -- Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison Danny O'Rourke -- Indiana Steven Rhyne -- Clemson Doug Lascody -- SW Missouri St. Jeffrey Krause -- New Mexico Hans Bevers -- New Mexico Simone Salinno -- St. John's Mubarike Chisoni -- Coastal Carolina Thabiso Khumalo -- Coastal Carolina Ian Rodway -- Maryland Domenic Mediate -- Maryland Amir Lowery -- Wake Forest Chris Karcz -- Rutgers Defenders -- 23 Guy Melamed -- Boston College Stephen Arias -- UConn Matt Kovar -- Loyola Marymount Dan Gargan -- Georgetown Aaron Pitchkolan -- West Virginia Aaron Lopez -- UCLA Tim Merritt -- North Carolina Matt Oliver -- Virginia Jack Stewart -- Notre Dame Kevin Goldthwaite -- Notre Dame Ugochukweu Ihemelu -- Southern Methodist Jeff Larentower -- Brown Nick Pollard -- SW Missouri St. Chris Corcoran -- St. John's Ryan Kelly -- St. John's Craig Klaas -- Washington Cameron Knowles -- Akron Gonzalo Segares -- Virginia Commonwealth Troy Roberts -- UC Berkley James Riley -- Wake Forest Tony Lockhead -- UC Santa Barbara Drew Cavanagh -- College of Charleston Danny Sullivan -- Bowdoin College (DIII) Forwards -- 18 Alon Lubezky -- Hartford Mychal Turpin -- Michigan Knox Cameron -- Michigan Eugene Sepuya -- Alabama A&M Julian Nash -- Creighton Chris Lee -- Marquette Antouman Jallow -- Univ. of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Ryan Latham -- Southern Methodist Jerrod Laventure -- Seton Hall Justin Cook -- Ohio State Chad Severs -- Penn State Chris Rolfe -- Dayton Abe Thompson -- Maryland Edwin Ruiz -- Hartwick Scott Selay -- Wake Forest Jamie Holmes -- Birmingham Southern Usiel Vasquez -- Southern Connecticut (DII) Orlando Ramirez -- Fresno Pacific University (NAIA)
Re: MLS Combine Players List :: DC United Edition Well, at least you'll be able to fulfill your Ivy League fetish.
Better than Luke Kreamaimeyer or Aaron Pitchkolan or John Minagowa-Webster? Who will be the next Hayden Woodworth or Caleb Norkus?
Hans Bevers -- New Mexico This guy sounds like he's in porn movies. and look! It's Dr. Thabiso Khumalo -- Coastal Carolina
Is Thabiso Khumalo related to Doctor Khumalo? And I want to draft Ugochukweu Ihemelu so we can all chant "You go Chuck" for him. Sachin
Knave, Can you take a look at this guy, he's big and quick, 6-2, 200lbs, and a somewhat local (Fairfax, VA) guy who's played on the Irish Youth National Team in earlier years. He's also been the named to the CAA All-Conference Team for 3 straight years. He was even named to this year's despite playing on a team that finished 8th with an 7-11-1 record. Of the guy's 11 losses this year, he only allowed 1 goal in 7 of them, and 3 of those went into OT or 2OT. He was also named the PDL Keeper of the Year in 2003. Thanks! SW Here's some more info on him: http://gomason.collegesports.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/ohara_john00.html http://www.richmondkickers.com/news/080403PDLOHaraAward.htm
Very interested in seeing how he stacks up against other top players. Has been a 2nd team all-ACC selection for two years, but I've always thought he was overrated. A fast and skilled player who made his name at forward in the NCAAs a couple of years ago, but is now playing effectively as an AM/withdrawn forward. He has a knack for having his biggest impact in big games, and I have always felt like he leaves something in the tank unless the game really means something. A possible sleeper - he's not as versatile or energetic as Gros, but he might be as talented. Thompson is outrageously talented. He's big, fast, and highly skilled - a first-round talent...BUT he's injured so frequently that it's almost comedic. He's also very inconsistent and is either unwilling or unable to consistently dominate college matches as he has done on occasion. Much like his ex-teammate Sumed Ibrahim, he has the talent to succeed in MLS, but might not have the heart or the health.
Last year I said Josh Gros when you asked (no, I'm not making that up) so, Matt Oliver and John O'Hara.
The only potential problem I could see with O'Hara is that he'll be a 24 year old international goalkeeper next season. He has the talent to stick with the team, but would they be willing to use one of the foreigner spots (not sure enough about the SI/TI rules) on what is likely the deepest American position? Oh, and he needs to bring back the bleached hair. That was the magic behind his 2003 PDL season.
Knave, Can you take a look at Defender, Gonzalo Segares of Virginia Commonwealth, in addition to any other local (Mid-Atlantic/Southern) second tier talents that you feel would have normally been picked in the 5th or 6th rounds. The fact that the draft has now been cut to 4 rounds could be a boon to us considering the high concentration of qualityplayers near to us since, geographically speaking, we're the closest MLS team to the talent laden mid-Atlantic and southern schools. This should allow us to sign as free agents a few guys that would have been grabbed in the 5th and 6th rounds by all the other teams trying to grab and hold onto developmental talent from outside their own part of the country. Now, with a guy like O'Hara, perhaps looking to be a late rounder anyway, I'd think we have an inside track to sign him as a third keeper.
It's almost a shame that he was invited to the MLS combine. It would have been nice to sneak him under the league radar, but that would be difficult for a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist. Arguably he's the best defender coming out in the draft. Obviously the one hit on him is playing at VCU. Some would say that the Colonial Athletic Assoc is second tier. However, I believe VCU ended up ranked 16th nationally and play eight top 20 teams. He is a Costa Rican having played on their U-17 team, and I think made an appearance with their most recent Olympic squad during qualifiers. He is known for his ball control skills and ability to add to the offense. With the new open ended discovery option, I would think that DCUnited might make a draft day trade up to the first round to get a shot at this player.
[triumph] ... yeah, to poop on ... [/triumph] Let CumBlowUs get the riff-raff from that sub-standard school, we have more class than that We have two Huskies, a third might be nice Craig Klaas impressed me the two times I saw UW play this year.
I wonder if defender Patrick Carroll (Sr., West Springfield High School, Springfield, Va.), recently voted NCSAA/Addidas All-American would be considered?
I haven't watched NCAA soccer in two years, but when I was at UVA prior to that, three players stood out during my time there: Kyle Martino, Alecko Eskandarian, and Matt Oliver. I was relatively new to the game back then so my opinion is suspect even to me but I had the same confidence in him (at that level) as people did this past year about Ryan Nelsen. I don't think we want a rookie central defender, but if we have to have one (or, hopefully, a rookie backup CD) Oliver has about as much experience as it's possible to get in NCAA D1...one year with the team but injured, then four years where he started over 80 games.
And would Patrick Carroll, Sr., of West Springfield High School be any relation to one Carroll, Brian, who labors so effectively in the DCU midfield? Soccermom, any coment?