NEW YORK - With the MLS SuperDraft just over a month away, Major League Soccer announced on Thursday morning the initial list of college seniors who have been invited to the 2011 adidas MLS Player Combine.
The 54 college seniors in the initial list come from 36 NCAA Division I schools. They were selected by a panel of NCAA Division I coaches - in conjunction with MLS coaches.
The list boasts many college standouts, including nine players from the four teams competing in this coming weekend's NCAA College Cup: J.T. Murray (Louisville); Justin Meram (Michigan); Anthony Ampaipitakwong (pictured above) and Christopher Korb (Akron); and Eddie Ababio, Jalil Anibaba, Michael Farfan, Stephen McCarthy, and Dustin McCarty (UNC).
This is just the initial list of invitees. More players, including those from the Generation adidas program, NCAA Division II and III schools, and NAIA schools, will be added in the coming weeks.
The 2011 adidas MLS Player Combine is set to take place in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from Friday, January 7, to Tuesday, January 11. MLSsoccer.com will have full coverage of the combine games and profiles of many of the players.
In next month's MLS SuperDraft, Whitecaps FC hold the first and eighth overall selection, as well as the first picks in the remaining three rounds. The 2011 MLS SuperDraft will be held in conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention in Baltimore, Maryland, on Thursday, January 13, at 9 a.m. PT.
2011 adidas MLS Player Combine list by position
GOALKEEPERS (5): Bryan Meredith (Monmouth); Jeff Attinella (University of South Florida); Jimmy Maurer (South Carolina); Joe Willis (University of Denver); Josh Ford (UConn)
DEFENDERS (17): A.J. Soares (California); Bilal Duckett (Notre Dame); Bobby Warshaw (Stanford); Christopher Korb (Akron); Colin Givens (Michigan State); Curtis Ushedo (UAB); Demitrius Omphroy (California); Eddie Ababio (UNC); Greg Klazura (Notre Dame); Greg King (UConn); Indy Smith (UNC Wilmington); Jalil Anibaba (UNC); J.T. Murray (Louisville); Juan Cruz (SMU); Michael Boxall (UCSB); Rich Balchan (Indiana); Tyler Lassiter (North Carolina State)
MIDFIELDERS (21): Anthony Ampaipitakwong (Akron); Blake Brettschneider (South Carolina); Cole Grossman (Duke); Daniel Keat (Dartmouth); Dustin McCarty (UNC); Ernesto Carranza (Sacramento State); Guillermo Cortes (Maryland); Hector Jimenez (California); Jimmy Banks (Green Bay); John "Jeb" Brovsky (Notre Dame); Jon Okafor (Brown); Josue Soto (SMU); Karl Reddick (Boston College); Konrad Warzycha (Ohio State); Lebogang Pila (St. Peter's College); Matheus Braga (Penn State); Matt Gold (Ohio State); Michael Farfan (UNC); Servando Carrasco (California); Stephen McCarthy (UNC); Tommy Drake (Clemson)
FORWARDS (11): Amani Walker (UCI); Ashley McInnes (Tulsa); Brayan Martinez (Seton Hall University); CJ Sapong (James madison); Davis Paul (California); Efrain Burgos (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo), Jason Herrick (Maryland); Justin Meram (Michigan); Levi Houapeu (UMBC); Philip Bannister (Loyola University Maryland); Steven Perry (Notre Dame)
2011 adidas MLS Player Combine list by school
University of Akron: Anthony Ampaipitakwong, Christopher Korb
UAB: Curtis Ushedo Boston College: Karl Reddick Brown University: Jon Okafor
University of California: Servando Carrasco, Hector Jimenez, Demitrius Omphroy, Davis Paul, AJ Soares
UC Santa Barbara: Michael Boxall
UC Irvine: Amani Walker
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo: Efrain Burgos
University of Connecticut: Josh Ford, Greg King
Clemson University: Tommy Drake
Dartmouth College: Daniel Keat
University of Denver: Joe Willis
Duke University: Cole Grossman
Indiana University: Rich Balchan
James Madison University: CJ Sapong
University of Louisville: J.T. Murray
Loyola University Maryland: Philip Bannister
University of Maryland: Guillermo Cortes, Jason Herrick
University of Maryland, Baltimore County: Levi Houapeu
University of Michigan: Justin Meram
Michigan State University: Colin Givens
Monmouth University: Bryan Meredith
University of North Carolina: Eddie Ababio, Jalil Anibaba, Michael Farfan, Stephen McCarthy, Dustin McCarty
UNC Wilmington: Indy Smith
North Carolina State University: Tyler Lassiter
University of Notre Dame: John (Jeb) Brovsky, Bilal Duckett, Greg Klazura, Steven Perry
Ohio State University: Matt Gold, Konrad Warzycha
Penn State University: Matheus Braga
Sacramento State University: Ernesto Carranza
Seton Hall University: Brayan Martinez
University of South Carolina: Blake Brettschneider, Jimmy Maurer
University of South Florida: Jeff Attinella
Southern Methodist University: Juan Cruz, Josue Soto
St. Peter's College: Lebogang Pila
Stanford University: Bobby Warshaw
University of Tulsa: Ashley McInnes
UW Green Bay: Jimmy Banks
