USL PRO News Release
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
TAMPA, Fla. – The first set of participants for the 2014 USL PRO Combine, presented by Nike, were announced on Tuesday, with a number of top PDL players leading those selected to train and compete at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. from January 23-26. One-hundred players have currently been accepted to the Combine, with a final list set to be announced in two weeks.
More than 450 applications were received for the 102 available places at the combine, exceeding the number received in previous years as players looked for the opportunity to follow such players as USL PRO All-League selections Gibson Bardsley, Dennis Chin and Mike Azira, and current MLS players Lawrence Olum, Mark Bloom and Tom Heinemann.
“We were delighted with the number of applications, and the quality of players that applied to be part of this year’s Combine,” USL National Technical Director Peter Mellor said. “It was a very difficult task to identify the players we would bring to IMG Academy, and we wish the best to those who just missed the cut this year.”
Leading the group is a pair of players selected to the PDL All-Conference teams this past season, with Ocean City Nor’easters forward Dwayne Reid and Austin Aztex defender Max Gunderson both looking to take their game to the pro ranks. Gunderson was a two-time All-Conference pick, also earning selection with the Laredo Heat in 2012. Last summer he was a key figure defensively as the Aztex claimed the PDL Championship, appearing in 13 regular season contests and every game in the playoffs.
Reid finished tied for fourth in the league with 12 goals after starting the season with the Westchester Flames, and helped the Nor’easters win the Eastern Conference Championship. He is joined by a number of Nor’easters teammates at the Combine, with midfielder Ken Tribbett and goalkeeper Brian Billings both set to feature prominently during the weekend.
Billings is part of a strong contingent of goalkeepers headed to Florida, with the Thunder Bay Chill’s Stephen Paterson, Des Moines Menace’s Scott Angevine, Panama City Beach Pirates’ Sean Lewis and Reading United’s Stephen McCarthy all set to feature. Paterson has been a stalwart for the Chill during the past three seasons as the club twice reached the PDL Championship Game, while former Sporting Kansas City player Angevine was crucial in the Menace’s U.S. Open Cup victory against Minnesota United FC in last year’s second round.
Lewis, meanwhile, shone as a member of the Pirates, finishing in the Top 10 in goals-against average as he played every minute of every game to help Panama City Beach reach the PDL Playoffs for the first time. McCarthy was an All-Conference selection for Ocean City in 2012 before joining Reading this past summer, where he posted a 0.750 goals-against average and helped his side advance to the third round of the U.S. Open Cup with an upset of the Harrisburg City Islanders.
Other players to watch include Reading United’s Mario Pinto, who had 15 points in 12 games last summer, and Ocala Stampede midfielder Kyle Breitmeyer, who finished tied for fifth in the league with six assists in 14 games. Breitmeyer’s Stampede teammate Jack Bailey will be another hoping to shine after recording eight goals in nine games for Ocala this past summer, as will FC Tucson attacking midfielder David Clemens, who had 11 points in 13 games last season.
The eighth edition of the USL PRO Combine, presented by Nike, is set to kick off on Thursday, January 23 at the world-class facilities of IMG Academy. More details on Combine coaches and team rosters will be made available during the next two weeks.