USL News Release
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
TAMPA, Fla. – The 2012 USL PRO Combine is set for January 26-29, 2012 at the internationally recognized IMG Academies in Bradenton, Florida. The USL PRO Combine provides an opportunity for elite men’s soccer players to showcase their talents for both domestic and international scouts and professional coaches.
The annual event, now in its sixth year, will feature 102 of the top players from North America and abroad hoping to land a professional contract. To date, nearly 150 participants (including 20 from 2011) have gone on to sign professional contracts with USL, MLS and international squads since the debut of the combine in 2006. The event attracts the top talent from throughout North America, with a majority of the participants coming from the USL PDL, North America’s leading developmental league for men’s professional soccer.
The USL PRO Combine will once again be led by USL National Technical Director Peter Mellor, who will oversee a comprehensive curriculum that challenges participants while providing coaches with the proper environment for evaluation. Coaches expected to participate in the event will include MLS staff coaches and several current PDL head coaches.
“I am delighted that we are able to hold the USL PRO Combine at the pristine IMG Academies soccer facility,” Mellor said. “It is important that we give the players the right professional environment both on and off the field to give them the opportunity to prove to the coaches that they are ready to move into the professional ranks. The Charleston Battery of USL PRO were exemplary hosts of the combine for the past five years, but having the event at a world-renowned soccer facility just down the road from USL headquarters in Tampa is an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”
Past beneficiaries of the event include 2011 USL PRO Rookie of the Year Luke Mulholland, who signed with the Wilmington Hammerheads following the 2011 combine after starring with Reading United of the PDL. Another recent success story is rising star Tom Heinemann who signed with the Battery following the 2008 combine, was named MVP of the 2010 title game, and now plays for the Columbus Crew of MLS.
Players hoping to participate in the USL PRO Combine will be selected based on their playing background and their soccer achievements. The application will be available through the “Events” tab on uslsoccer.com starting on November 7 with a deadline of December 9. Participants will receive local transportation, breakfast, lunch, dinner, lodging, and a player’s kit.
IMG Academies is the world’s largest and most advanced multi-sport training facility for athletic, academic and personal development. During the span of 30-plus years, the Academy’s advanced training methods have helped countless youth, adult, collegiate and professional athletes improve in sport and life by providing an energetic and inspiring atmosphere on a 350-acre campus.
Since 1999 IMG Academies has served as the home of the U.S. Soccer Under-17 Residency Program, and numerous MLS and international squads use the facility for preseason training each year.