Monday, December 18, 2006
TAMPA – Sunny skies and unusually hot temperatures welcomed the 192 participants to the second day of action at United Soccer Leagues 2006 Men’s Player Showcase presented by UMBRO. The day began with team building drills intended to organize the 12 sides for the four games they will play over the next two days.
The stations focused on intricate passing and shooting – a perfect time for the international, Major League Soccer, and USL First & Second Division Clubs to inspect the showcase’s goalkeeping corps.
“There is a lot of collegiate talent outside the NCAA Division I level,” said Chicago Fire Academy Director Roland Hahn. “Not everyone gets seen in America, it is such a big country. There are kids out here from all over and this is their chance to show what they have to offer – a chance they would not otherwise get.”
“There are a lot of Premier Development League guys out here,” added Hahn. “The PDL has been a great proving ground for amateur players in North America. I had a pretty good idea coming in that the level of play would be strong.”
The second wave of training broke for lunch and the 90-minute afternoon games began promptly at 3:00 PM. A steady influx of coaching staffs arrived to witness Premier Development League MVP Frederico Moojen’s first live 11 v.11 action of the combine. Wearing blue, Moojen lifted his team to a 1-0 first half advantage when he ducked an off-sides call and broke in alone on goal. He beat a helpless keeper to the left side of the net. The goal could possibly be the last Moojen scores on U.S. soil before signing with an international club.
“This being the first time USL organized an event like this, I wanted to see first-hand the level of talent,” said D.C. United Assistant Coach Tom Soehn. “I don’t like to come into scouting events with players already in mind. Yesterday at the 7 v. 7’s I made a list of potential players. The remainder of the event I go back over that list and either cross names off or circle them.”
“D.C. United has a lot of development positions and little spots we like to fill with up-and-coming American players,” added Soehn. “The talent level at this event is perfect for guys like that.”
About USL Player Showcase Presented by UMBRO
Beginning in 2006, United Soccer Leagues created the USL Player Showcase as a way to further the careers and playing opportunities of amateur athletes in the Premier Development League. Spearheaded by PDL Director Lee Cohen and former Professional player Vicente Bastidas, the combine attracted roughly 500 applications from players all over the world looking to be seen by North American based clubs. After narrowing down the applications to 192 of the top unsigned candidates available, USL welcomed over 50 coaches and scouts to their home in Tampa, Florida for the inaugural four day event.
The USL Player Showcase presented by UMBRO kicked-off on Sunday, December 17. The opening days of the first-time event were well-received by all English Premier League, Major League Soccer, and USL First and Second Division clubs in attendance. Looking to the future USL plans to upgrade and continue this thriving event in 2007 in hopes to raise the stature of soccer in North America and abroad.
