The 2019 Major League Soccer Combine kicked off Thursday in Orlando, Fla., where the top college seniors and Generation adidas players will work through drills, interviews with potential teams and play scrimmages in preparation for next Friday’s MLS SuperDraft in Chicago. FCC holds the first pick.
Combine participants will play in scrimmages on both Saturday and Wednesday. Four teams will compete across the two matchdays: Team Copa, Team Nemeziz, Team Predator and Team XI. All four matches will be streamed on the MLS YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages. (Each team plays twice.)
Who’s invited to the MLS Combine?
Here’s a list from the league with the initial group of players participating in Orlando.
What is Generation adidas?
Generation adidas is a joint initiative between MLS and adidas in which a handful of the top collegiate underclassmen and select youth national team players are signed to MLS contracts and made available in the SuperDraft. The Generation adidas program is designed to provide top young talent with a fast-tracked route to the professional level. According to Goal.com, seven players have accepted Generation adidas contracts ahead of the 2019 SuperDraft. FC Cincinnati currently has two rostered players who were former Generation adidas signings: Corben Bone (2010) and Darren Mattocks (2012).
Here are the potential Generation adidas players in 2019, according to Goal.
FC Cincinnati at the MLS Combine
Head Coach Alan Koch and Technical Director Luke Sassano are at the Combine watching drills and talking to potential picks in the upcoming draft. Here are current FCC players (and members of the technical staff), who have participated at the MLS Combine:
2015: Fatai Alashe, Spencer Richey
2013: Blake Smith, Emery Welshman
2012: Darren Mattocks, Austin Berry
2010: Corben Bone
2008: Luke Sassano
Berry is currently the club’s strength and conditioning coach
Sassano is the technical director
Mock 2019 MLS SuperDraft
MLS senior writer Matthew Doyle published his first 2019 mock draft Thursday afternoon and projected FC Cincinnati to select Siad Haji first overall.
Haji, who played collegiately at Virginia Commonwealth University, can play as a winger or as an attacking midfielder and has U.S. Youth National Team experience.
To see Doyle’s projections for the rest of the first round, click here.
