The SuperDraft isn't the only way

This morning I was thinking about the whole college to the pros thing and I realized I left out a piece of the puzzle yesterday when explaining the MLS system.

First, you may be asking how MLS teams scout all these college players across the nation. Most of the year that is a mystery to us all. Clubs coaches have mainly relied on relationships with different college programs and the opinions of those close to those programs. The American soccer world is tightly knit and people talk about the players they've seen and liked. This is all a very informal process. The league gets involved in January when they invite the supposed top of the college ranks to the MLS Combine. If you want to learn about the 2006 event, here are some stories. During the combine coaches get to see the players in a few matches. Most people I have read say that the combine is a tough place to see players in a true soccer environment. The teams are artificial and there is little to no chemistry between the players and coaches.

Because of this imperfect and mostly informal system good players can slip through the cracks. Most if not all MLS teams have found a "diamond in the rough" type of player who slips through the coaches phone network and doesn't get an invite to the combine. Some who get to the combine don't have an opportunity to impress and never hear their name called during the drafts.

As a Colorado Rapids fan I immediately think of Nat Borchers when this topic comes up. Nat graduated from the University of Denver in 2003 as an unheralded defender. He's a Colorado native and worked his way into a try out with the Rapids. Upon signing a developmental contract he continued his studies towards a masters in accounting to make sure he'd have a career when this soccer dream played itself out. An injury to a starting defender gave Nat the chance of a lifetime. Nat came in and grabbed the starting position for the rest of the season. Successful 2004 and 2005 seasons saw him become a rock in the center of the Rapids' stingy defense. Surrounded by defensive masters Robin Fraser, Mike Petke and Pablo Mastroeni, Nat learned how to control the back line. Life got more exciting for Nat with a call up to the US U-23 National Team which was unsuccessful in qualifying for the Olympics. In January of 2006 Nat went over to Norway for a training stint with Odd Grenland. When the coaches at the club got a look at Nat's ability they quickly decided to purchase the player's rights from MLS. Nat is now getting settled into a new club and has been added to the growing Yanks abroad directory.

Nat's story shows that you don't have to play for the big University and go through the US residency program to become a stand out in MLS and move abroad to further your career. Nat will now be able to learn in a strong professional European system and potentially grab the attention of a bigger club looking for bargains in Norway. Every year MLS teams are scouring their local try outs for fresh talent not seen by other clubs. Every year a new Nat Borchers will pop up and beg the question, "where did he come from?"