December 10, 2009 THEY'RE INVITED Becerra, Clack, O'Brien to MLS combine
Nelson Becerra (above) and Ben Clack were invited to the MLS player combine. Photo courtesy of St. John's SID
Nelson Becerra and Ben Clack of St. John's and Mount Sinai, N.Y. native Conor O'Brien of Bucknell University were invited to the adidas MLS player combine, which will be held at Central Broward Region Park in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Jan. 8-12.
They were among 62 college seniors from 44 Division I schools who received invitations.
Becerra, a midfielder, and Clack, a defender, were key to the Red Storm's success, as St. John's reached the NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament.
O'Brien, a member of the 2007 Terryville Fire's Boys Under-18 national champions, was a key factor in Bucknell's success this season.
The list is highlighted by five players who are semifinalists for the 2009 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy, NCAA soccer’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. The MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalists invited to the adidas MLS player combine include Harvard University’s Andre Akpan, University of North Carolina’s Zach Loyd, University of California-Los Angeles’s Kyle Nakazawa, O’Brien and University of Connecticut’s Toni Stahl. The MAC Hermann Trophy finalists will be announced Dec. 11 and the winner announced Jan. 8.
The coaching and management staffs of all 16 MLS teams will attend the combine to scout talent at combine, which concludes two days before the MLS SuperDraft. At the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, considered one of the best talent pools in SuperDraft history, 42 of the 60 players drafted attended the 2009 combine; 10 combine players were selected in the first round.
The 2010 draft will be held in Philadelphia Thursday, Jan. 14.
The entire list of invitees:
Goalkeepers (5): Brooks Haggerty (University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill); Jovan Bubonja (University of Illinois-Chicago); Frederick Hall (Quinnipiac University); Brian Perk (University of California – Los Angeles); John Moore (Stanford University).
Defenders (18): Kevin Tangney (University of Maryland – College Park); Olukorede Aiyegbusi (North Carolina State University); Tim Ream (Saint Louis University); Kwame Watson-Siriboe (University of Connecticut); Phil Edginton (University of Louisville); Ben Clack (St. Johns University); Justin Morrow (University of Notre Dame); Ofori Sarkodie (Indiana University); Martin Hadevag (University of California – Santa Barbara); Chad Borak (California State University, Northridge); Chris Schuler (Creighton University); Julien Edwards (Drake University); Kris Banghart (University of Denver); Nick Cardenas (San Diego State University); Tyler Barry (University of California – Berkeley); Adam Welch (Lehigh University); Steven Kinney (Elon University); Ryan Peterman (University of San Diego).
Midfielders/Forwards (39): Samuel Appiah (Boston University); Carlos Villa (University of Hartford); Zack Schilawski (Wake Forest University); Zach Loyd (University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill); Austin da Luz (Wake Forest University); Drew Yates (University of Maryland – College Park); Ronnie Bouemboue (North Carolina State University); Ross LaBauex (University of Virginia); Joseph Noone (Temple University); Isaac Kissi (University of Dayton); Mike Seamon (Villanova University); Othaniel Yanez (University of Louisville); Steffen Vroom (Depaul University); Fred Braun (University of Louisville); Michael Thomas (University of Notre Dame); Toni Stahl (University of Connecticut); Mike Pezza (University of Connecticut); Nelson Becerra (St. John’s University); Bright Dike (University of Notre Dame); Jason Yeisley (Penn State University); Mauro Fuzetti (University of Michigan); Eric Alexander (Indiana University); Irving Garcia (University of California – Irvine); David Walker (University of California – Santa Barbara); Andrew Hoxie (College of William & Mary); Nane Joseph (Old Dominion University); Two-Boys Gumede (University of Alabama – Birmingham); Andre Akpan (Harvard University);Craig Henderson (Dartmouth College); Nick Elenz-Martin (Brown University);Kwaku Nyamekye (Harvard University); Seth Sinovic (Creighton University); Justin Davis (University of New Mexico); Kyle Nakawaza (University of California – Los Angeles); Michael Stephens (University of California – Los Angeles); David Estrada (University of California – Los Angeles); Adam Welch (Lehigh University); Conor O’Brien (Bucknell University) Collen Warner (University of Portland); Conor Chinn (University of San Francisco).
