[ADIDAS MLS PLAYER COMBINE] UCLA leads all schools with four players, including U.S. U-20s
Brian Perk and
Michael Stephens, who were invited to participate in the 2010 adidas MLS Player Combine Jan. 8-12 at Central Broward Regional Park in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Major
League Soccer invited 62 college seniors from 44 Division I schools. The combine will be the last chance for MLS teams to evaluate players before the 2010 MLS SuperDraft to be held Jan. 14 in
Philadelphia. For the complete list of invitees ...
The initial player list was determined by a select panel of Division I college coaches representing all conferences who nominated and
voted for players in conjunction with MLS coaches. Youth players from the Generation adidas program will join additional collegiate players from NCAA Division II and III schools, NAIA schools and
Division I alternates will also attend the 2010 adidas MLS Player Combine.
The Westin Beach Resort Fort Lauderdale will serve as the official headquarters of the adidas MLS Player Combine
and the host hotel for players and coaching staffs.
GAME SCHEDULE: (All times eastern and schedule is subject to change. All games will be
held on the Main Event Field.)
Saturday, January 9 3:00 p.m. Predator X vs. Jabulani 4:45 p.m. Condivo vs. F50i
Sunday, January 10 2:00 p.m. Predator X vs. Condivo 3:45p.m. F50i vs. Jabulani
Tuesday, January 12 9:30 a.m. Jabulani vs.
Condivo 11:15 a.m. Predator X vs. F50i
PLAYER LIST: GOALKEEPERS: Brooks Haggerty (North Carolina);
Jovan Bubonja (UIC); Frederick Hall (Quinnipiac); Brian Perk (UCLA); John Moore (Stanford).
DEFENDERS: Kevin Tangney (Maryland); Olukorede
Aiyegbusi (North Carolina State); Tim Ream (Saint Louis); Kwame Watson-Siriboe (University of Connecticut); Phil Edginton (Louisville); Ben Clack (St. Johns); Justin Morrow (Notre Dame); Ofori
Sarkodie (Indiana); Martin Hadevag (UC Santa Barbara); Chad Borak (Cal State Northridge); Chris Schuler (Creighton University); Julien Edwards (Drake); Kris Banghart (Denver); Nick Cardenas (San
Diego State); Tyler Barry (California); Adam Welch (Lehigh); Steven Kinney (Elon); Ryan Peterman (San Diego)
MIDFIELDERS/FORWARDS: Samuel Appiah
(Boston University); Carlos Villa (Hartford); Zack Schilawski (Wake Forest); Zach Loyd (North Carolina); Austin da Luz (Wake Forest); Drew Yates (Maryland); Ronnie Bouemboue (North Carolina State);
Ross LaBauex (Virginia); Joseph Noone (Temple); Isaac Kissi (Dayton); Mike Seamon (Villanova); Othaniel Yanez (Louisville); Steffen Vroom (DePaul); Fred Braun (Louisville); Michael Thomas (Notre
Dame); Toni Stahl (Connecticut); Mike Pezza (Connecticut); Nelson Becerra (St. John's); Bright Dike (Notre Dame); Jason Yeisley (Penn State); Mauro Fuzetti (Michigan); Eric Alexander (Indiana);
Irving Garcia (UC Irvine); David Walker (California - Santa Barbara); Andrew Hoxie (William & Mary); Nane Joseph (Old Dominion); Two-Boys Gumede (UAB); Andre Akpan (Harvard); Craig Henderson
(Dartmouth); Nick Elenz-Martin (Brown); Kwaku Nyamekye (Harvard); Seth Sinovic (Creighton); Justin Davis (New Mexico); Kyle Nakazawa (UCLA); Michael Stephens (UCLA); David Estrada (UCLA); Adam
Welch (Lehigh); Conor O'Brien (Bucknell) Collen Warner (Portland); Conor Chinn (San Francisco).
North Carolina stands in way of Akron's quest
[MEN'S COLLEGE CUP] Top-ranked Akron is two games away from becoming the first team in 35 years to go undefeated and untied, meets North Carolina in the semifinals of the Men's
College Cup Friday in Cary, N.C. (TV: ESPNU, live, 5:30 pm ET; ESPN2, delay, Saturday, 11 am ET). The Tar Heels, who began the season as the No. 1 team in the Soccer America Preseason Top 25, are
formidable foes. In last year's semifinals, UNC knocked off favored Wake Forest, which was picked to repeat as national champion.
Akron coach
Caleb
Porter, rumored to be headed to MLS's D.C. United after the college season ends, has built one of the most talented teams in recent college soccer history. If they stay together, the Zips
should be even tougher in 2010. Only one starter is a senior.
Key Players Anthony Ampaipitakwong.
The midfielder was one of the first players Porter recruited to Akron and he has not disappointed. He was an All-American as a sophomore and is a Hermann Trophy semifinalist as a junior. In
the 2009 NCAA Tournament, he has scored three goals from long distance -- two on free kicks.
Alex Dixon. Normally No. 3, Dixon will wear No. 17 at
the College Cup after his usual jersey disappeared following the regular-season finale at Clemson. He has scored in three straight games wearing No. 17. Like Ampaipitakwong, Dixon hails from Texas
and spent time in the U.S. U-17 residency program.
Akron Probable Lineup
Goalkeeper 24 David
Meves, FR. Arlington Heights, Ill.
Defenders 2 Zarek Valentin, FR. Lancaster, Pa.
3 Chad Barson, FR. Lewis Center, Ohio
4 Kofi Sarkodie, SOPH. Huber Heights, Ohio
16 Chris Korb, Jr. Gates Mills, Ohio
Midfielders 7 Blair Gavin, JR. Louisville, Ky.
9 Michael Nanchoff, SOPH. North Royalton, Ohio
10 Anthony Ampaipitakwong, JR. Carrollton, Texas
13 Ben Zemanski, SR. Akron, Ohio
Forwards 6 Darlington Nagbe, SOPH.
Lakewood, Ohio
12 Teal Bunbury, SOPH. Prior Lake, Minn.
North Carolina Probable Lineup
Goalkeeper 1 Brooks Haggerty, SR. Cary, N.C.
Defenders 4
Brett King, SOPH. Wilmington, N.C.
5 Zach Loyd, SR. Verdigris, Okla.
14 Jordan Graye, SR. Washington,
D.C.
23 Drew McKinney, SR. Cary, N.C.
Midfielders
7 Dustin
McCarty, JR. Maitland, Fla.
15 Cameron Brown, JR. Garland, Texas
18 Kirk Urso, SOPH. Lombard, Ill.
19 Michael Farfan, JR. Wildomar, Calif.
Forwards 2 Bill Dworsky,
JR. Huntsville, Ala.
17 Alex Dixon, SOPH. Humble, Texas
Virginia enters semifinals against Wake on a roll
[MEN'S COLLEGE CUP] A poor preseason and injury concerns meant that Virginia was unranked in the Soccer America Men's Preseason Top 25 rankings, but the Cavs have gotten hot
and head into Friday's semifinals against ACC rival Wake Forest (TV: ESPN2, live, 5 p.m. ET) with a 14-game unbeaten streak.
Wake Forest is playing in its fourth straight College Cup,
marking the ninth different time that a team has advanced to four consecutive semifinals. The last time to accomplish the feat was Maryland (2002-05).
Virginia's last appearance in the
NCAA College Cup was in 2006 when it dropped a 4-0 decision to UCLA in the semifinals.
Key Players Will
Bates. The freshman has emerged as UVa's go-to player in its attack. He has scored a team-high 12 goals and had a hat trick against Bucknell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. With
former youth phenom
Chris Agorsor and U.S. U-20
Brian Ownby out of the lineup, Bates' contributions have been vital
to the Cavs' success.
Andy Lubahn. The freshman arrived from Erie, Pa., by way of Belgian club Cercle Brugge's youth program, and filled in for
Cody Arnoux, who contributed 32 goals and 16 assists the previous two seasons but signed with Everton over the summer. Lubahn is second on the Deacons with
10 goals.
Goalkeeper
1 Diego Restrepo, JR. West Palm Beach, Fla.
Defenders 6 Greg Monaco, SOPH. Virginia Beach, Va.
15 Mike Volk, JR. Bear, Del.
17 Hunter Jumper, SOPH. Plano, Texas
21 Shawn Barry, SOPH. Miramar, Fla.
Midfielders 7 Neil Barlow, SR. Herndon, Va.
8 Ross LaBauex, SR. Chicago, Ill.
10 Jonathan Villanueva, SR. Grand Prairie, Texas
19 Ari Dimas, FR. Chesapeake, Va.
Forwards 23 Tony Tchani, SOPH. Norfolk, Va.
25 Will Bates, FR. Chester, Va.
Wake Forest Probable Lineup
Goalkeeper
1 Akira Fitzgerald, SR. Baltimore, Md.
Defenders 3 Anthony Arena, FR. Kenmore, Wash.
4 Justin Lichtfuss, SR. Baltimore, Md.
16 Kyle Adams, SOPH. Fayetteville, Ga.
23 Ike Opara, JR. Durham, N.C.
Midfielders 6 Austin da Luz, SR. Winston-Salem, N.C.
10 Corben Bone, JR. Plano, Texas
14 Luke Norman, SOPH. Rochester, Mich.
22 Sam Redmond, SOPH. Asheville, N.C.
Forwards 12 Zack Schilawski, SR. Cary, N.C.
17 Andy Lubahn, FR. Erie, Pa.