United Soccer Leagues Release
May 18, 2006
TAMPA, FL – United Soccer Leagues announced today the inaugural USL Men’s Player Showcase presented by UMBRO. The event will be held at Skyway Park in Tampa, Florida from December 17 through December 20, 2006. The event will be the largest and most technically complete scouting combine in the US and Canada showcasing elite prospects under the age of 23. The combine is open to a maximum of 250 prospective athletes, allowing them an opportunity to impress professional coaches of North America and abroad.
“We are thrilled to be involved as the presenting sponsor for the 2006 Men’s Player Showcase event,” said Umbro USA’s Marketing Manager Kenny McCallum. “USL is at the heart of soccer development in the US and this event represents a great presentation of the talent that exists within USL. As a brand dedicated to soccer, it is important for UMBRO to be involved with the development of the future stars of US soccer.”
The event is expected to heavily feature players competing in the USL Premier Development League (PDL). As the top amateur league in North America, the Premier Development League is committed to providing its players with every opportunity to excel at the professional level. The showcase will be made up of players with PDL playing history as well as a limited number of top amateur players based on their own individual achievements or merits.
The USL Men’s Player Showcase presented by UMBRO has been constructed by PDL Director Lee Cohen and ODP Director Vinny Bastidas. The impetus for the event is to provide an outlet for elite level collegiate players in North America to showcase their abilities. The showcase was established to fill a void in the absence of a comprehensive scouting system for athletes looking to take their career to various levels of professional soccer, domestically and internationally.
“The scouting process for future prospective professional players in North America is limited,” said Cohen. “It is our objective to expose professional soccer teams to the untapped pool of top level players that have traditionally been overlooked by the existing combines."
The USL Men’s Player Showcase presented by UMBRO is open to all interested players under process of application. Applications must be submitted with a written player biography which will be examined by the USL showcase selection committee before any players are accepted. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until spots are filled.
All players and coaches involved with the showcase will be staying in Tampa at the Official Host Hotel: Mainsail Suites, located minutes away from the site of the combine, Skyway Park.
For more information about the 2006 USL Men’s Player Showcase presented by UMBRO, please visit player the
showcase information page at USLsoccer.com.
