PDL Feature
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Major League Soccer announced the final rosters for the 2013 MLS Combine on Thursday, with a number of top PDL players set to play at the annual scouting event as the 2013 MLS SuperDraft nears. Of the 72 players selected to compete at the Combine, four of whom arrive from overseas, 49 bring PDL experience, making up 72 percent of the domestic players invited to the event.
In addition to announcing the four combine rosters, MLS also completed its 2013 Generation adidas class with the signing of Reading United’s Deshorn Brown and the Austin Aztex’s Kekuta Manneh. Both players had standout seasons in the PDL in 2012, with Brown earning All-League honors after scoring 13 goals in 13 games to finish tied for the league lead. Brown’s addition, and that of 2012 All-Eastern Conference selection Stephen Okai, gives Reading a PDL-leading nine alumni selected to the event.
Manneh, meanwhile, was an All-Southern Conference selection after scoring 10 goals in 12 games as Austin reached the Southern Conference Championship Game. He joins Aztex teammates Blake Smith and Dillon Powers at the Combine, with Manneh and Smith together on Team Prime for the event.
Brown and Manneh’s addition brings this year’s Generation adidas class to seven players, with former PDL standouts Andrew Farrell of the River City Rovers and Mikey Lopez of the Orange County Blue Star also being included. Former Super-20 League North American Finals All-Tournament selection Eriq Zavaleta, who played for the Columbus Crew Juniors in 2011, has also signed to be part of this year’s class.
In addition to Okai, another seven senior standouts were added to the original list of 54 players announced in December. 2011 All-Eastern Conference selection Brian Fekete of the GPS Portland Phoenix had a strong season in the Northeast Division this past summer, while three players from the Worcester Hydra – Michael Bustamante, Charlie Rugg and Dylan Remick – were also added to the combine list.
The Des Moines Menace’s Lebogang Moloto, Central Jersey Spartans’ Ryan Clark, and Ottawa Fury defender Drew Beckie, who had three goals in 10 appearances to help his side reach the PDL Playoffs last season, were also named to the combine rosters on Thursday.
They join an impressive group of current and former PDL standouts who had already been announced, with Hermann Award finalists Jose Gomez and Ryan Finley, both of Reading United, and Powers anticipated to be top prospects along with the Generation adidas class.
The action in Fort Lauderdale kicks off on Friday afternoon, with each of the Combine’s games being streamed live on MLSSoccer.com. The 2013 MLS SuperDraft is set for next Thursday, January 17, as part of the NSCAA Convention in Indianapolis.
2013 MLS Player Combine
January 11-15, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Will Bates – Reading United
Deshorn Brown – Reading United
Michael Bustamante – Worcester Hydra
Ian Christianson – Reading United
Marc Cintron – Central Jersey Spartans
Ryan Clark – Central Jersey Spartans
Greg Cochrane – Reading United
Machael David – Tacoma Tide
Dan Delgado – Orange County Blue Star
Andrew Farrell – River City Rovers
Brian Fekete – GPS Portland Phoenix
Ryan Finley – Reading United
Ben Fisk – Washington Crossfire
Shaun Foster – Jersey Express
Joe Franco – LA Misioneros
Jordan Gafa – Carolina Dynamo
Jose Gomez – Reading United
Scott Goodwin – Carolina Dynamo
Coleton Henning – Kansas City Brass
Erik Hurtado – Portland Timbers U-23s
Larry Jackson – IMG Bradenton Academics
Taylor Kemp – Real Colorado Foxes
Kory Kindle – Ventura County Fusion
Mikey Lopez – Orange County Blue Star
Kekuta Manneh – Austin Aztex
Jonathan Mendoza – Orlando City U23
David Meves – Chicago Fire PDL
Lebogang Moloto – Des Moines Menace
Fernando Monge – Sounders FC U23
Colin Murphy – Worcester Hydra
Jimmy Nealis – Long Island Rough Riders
Stephen Okai – Reading United
Kofi Opare – Michigan Bucks
Dillon Powers – Austin Aztex
Dylan Remick – Worcester Hydra
Andrew Ribeiro – Portland Timbers U-23s
Charlie Rugg – Worcester Hydra
Eric Schoenle – Reading United
Blake Smith – Austin Aztex
Donald Smith – Carolina Dynamo
Yannick Smith – Virginia Beach Piranhas
Luke Spencer – Cincinnati Kings
Brad Stuver – Akron Summit Assault
Chris Thomas – Carolina Dynamo
Dylan Tucker-Ganges – Portland Timbers U-23s
Emery Welshman – Portland Timbers U-23s
Daniel Wenzel – Carolina Dynamo
Daniel Withrow – Michigan Bucks
Paul Wyatt – Reading United