2007 MLS Combine....and me....
Ok, so I have to admit I'm surprised by some of the invites to the 2007 MLS Combine.
The list of combine invites is added in the right margin. I assume we'll add the Generation Adidas guys once they're known.
First off, lets look at some numbers. I have 43 Seniors on my FCTP Pro-Prospects list. The combine invite list includes 58 seniors (57 and someone listed by their school as a Junior which raises some eyebrows.) So, my list was shy by 14 players. Additionally MLS seems to be tracking some guys who I haven't. That didn't surprise me. They added 17 players to my database today by inviting them to the combine. What did surprise me were some of the guys who didn't get an invite and the others who did.
Let's look at some players who aren't invited to the combine who I've been following and feel have earned a shot:
- F - John Cunliffe - Sr - Ft. Lewis : The senior forward is not playing for a D1 school and I suspect that kept him from getting a combine invite. Cunliffe has taken his Ft. Lewis team to one national title and one second place finish. This year he scored 29 goals and made 16 assists. Last year he had 20 goals and 22 assists. That kind of offensive production can't be ignored. Cunliffe has been playing for the PDL Boulder Rapids Reserve so I know the Colorado Rapids have seen the kid play. Either he's blowing away inferior opponents or the Rapids don't want him to be seen by the rest of the league. I am sure the Englishman will get a shot at a Rapids spot, but he'll have to be willing to play for league min as a discovery player. In my opinion the combine would be the perfect place to see if this kid is the real deal or if he is racking up great numbers against inferior foe.
- M - A.J. Godbolt - Sr - Maryland : I watched a Maryland game on TV this season and was impressed by his play. I don't know why he didn't earn a spot at the combine. He'll probably be another player who will have to claw and scratch his way to a trial. Maybe a year or two in the USL will help him out.
- GK - Eric Reed - Sr - UCLA : The 2006 PDL Goalie of the Year and leader of the defense for one of the semi-final teams in the College Cup isn't invited to the MLS Combine? What? He's played for multiple US Youth Teams and participated in the adidas ESP program. Seriously, he doesn't get an invite? I don't get this one at all. If someone knows something I'm overlooking, let me know.
- D - Osei Telesford - Sr - Liberty : Maybe I'm putting too much stock in the PDL results from this summer, but Telesford was named to the 2006 PDL Team of the Week twice and was then named Defender of the year. Playing result in the PDL in some ways should mean as much as college because it is a more professional atmosphere without the college rules. So how is a kid who is named the best defender in a feeder league to MLS not invited? He is from Trinidad so he would be a youth international but someone should take a shot on him.
- GK - Matt Wideman - Sr - SMU : Yeah, SMU should have done better in the NCAA tournament but you can't place all that blame on the goalie. Over 23 games played this season he had a 0.62 GAA average. Look for Wideman to secure a USL spot and make his way to MLS in another couple years if Dallas doesn't pick him up as a discovery before the 2007 season.
So there are my thoughts, what are yours? Who were you tracking who didn't get picked for the combine. The excitement will continue over the coming months as GA players are announced. We'll reach a fever pitch once the combine kicks off in January.
The list of combine invites is added in the right margin. I assume we'll add the Generation Adidas guys once they're known.
First off, lets look at some numbers. I have 43 Seniors on my FCTP Pro-Prospects list. The combine invite list includes 58 seniors (57 and someone listed by their school as a Junior which raises some eyebrows.) So, my list was shy by 14 players. Additionally MLS seems to be tracking some guys who I haven't. That didn't surprise me. They added 17 players to my database today by inviting them to the combine. What did surprise me were some of the guys who didn't get an invite and the others who did.
Let's look at some players who aren't invited to the combine who I've been following and feel have earned a shot:
- F - John Cunliffe - Sr - Ft. Lewis : The senior forward is not playing for a D1 school and I suspect that kept him from getting a combine invite. Cunliffe has taken his Ft. Lewis team to one national title and one second place finish. This year he scored 29 goals and made 16 assists. Last year he had 20 goals and 22 assists. That kind of offensive production can't be ignored. Cunliffe has been playing for the PDL Boulder Rapids Reserve so I know the Colorado Rapids have seen the kid play. Either he's blowing away inferior opponents or the Rapids don't want him to be seen by the rest of the league. I am sure the Englishman will get a shot at a Rapids spot, but he'll have to be willing to play for league min as a discovery player. In my opinion the combine would be the perfect place to see if this kid is the real deal or if he is racking up great numbers against inferior foe.
- M - A.J. Godbolt - Sr - Maryland : I watched a Maryland game on TV this season and was impressed by his play. I don't know why he didn't earn a spot at the combine. He'll probably be another player who will have to claw and scratch his way to a trial. Maybe a year or two in the USL will help him out.
- GK - Eric Reed - Sr - UCLA : The 2006 PDL Goalie of the Year and leader of the defense for one of the semi-final teams in the College Cup isn't invited to the MLS Combine? What? He's played for multiple US Youth Teams and participated in the adidas ESP program. Seriously, he doesn't get an invite? I don't get this one at all. If someone knows something I'm overlooking, let me know.
- D - Osei Telesford - Sr - Liberty : Maybe I'm putting too much stock in the PDL results from this summer, but Telesford was named to the 2006 PDL Team of the Week twice and was then named Defender of the year. Playing result in the PDL in some ways should mean as much as college because it is a more professional atmosphere without the college rules. So how is a kid who is named the best defender in a feeder league to MLS not invited? He is from Trinidad so he would be a youth international but someone should take a shot on him.
- GK - Matt Wideman - Sr - SMU : Yeah, SMU should have done better in the NCAA tournament but you can't place all that blame on the goalie. Over 23 games played this season he had a 0.62 GAA average. Look for Wideman to secure a USL spot and make his way to MLS in another couple years if Dallas doesn't pick him up as a discovery before the 2007 season.
So there are my thoughts, what are yours? Who were you tracking who didn't get picked for the combine. The excitement will continue over the coming months as GA players are announced. We'll reach a fever pitch once the combine kicks off in January.
posted by Bonji at
5:48 PM
3 Comments:
http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20061129&content_id=79588&vkey=news_mls&fext=.jsp
"Additional players from the Generation adidas program and NCAA Divisions II and II, as well as NAIA players and Division I alternates will be added at a later date."
By
scaryice, at 7:06 PM
Thanks for pointing that out. I missed that one.
By
Bonji, at 7:23 PM
This year's crop of senior goalkeepers is very good ... you can made a case for including Reed and Wideman (as well as others such as Robles, Levey, and Uhl), but when there are only five slots, who are you going to dump?
At the end of the day, it may not matter much. Goalkeeping is different from the other positions; usually, success comes gradually, so it isn't as important to get noticed right away. Joe Cannon and Troy Perkins weren't even drafted.
While I'm writing, it's disappointing that yet again, very few Hispanic players have made it through the pipeline. By no means is this a criticism of the combine selections -- if anything, a guy like Gerardo Alvarez was lucky to get chosen. However, this shortage happens year after year, and it's a symptom of problems that occur at the younger age levels. Hopefully, people are paying attention.
By
Anonymous, at 7:54 PM
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