Tuesday, December 18
CHARLESTON, SC – The third and final day of United Soccer Leagues 2007 Men’s Player Showcase presented by UMBRO began a bit late due to the crisp frost that had overtaken the Charleston Battery’s Blackbaud Stadium during the night. Eventually the players took to the field for their final shot at impressing coaches and scouts from numerous professional clubs in North America and abroad.
“It is exciting,” said USL Premier Development League coach Casey Mann of the Des Monies Menace. “You never know what the coaches are looking for in a player. They could like your style of play by the way you react to scoring a goal or the way you handle a foul. Some guys are looking for speed, while others are looking for size. Anything can be the determining factor in finding your way onto a professional roster at this event.”
This is the second consecutive season that Mann has coached players at the USL Men’s Player Showcase. A former player, Mann appreciates the opportunities in place in today’s game.
“An event like this makes me envious, that the players coming up through the system have this available to them. When I was coming up the A-League was just getting started and an event like this wouldn’t make a lot of sense but now it does and it makes me think USL is moving in the right direction.”
“You can see the improvements from last year to this one,” added Mann. “The quality of players involved has gotten better and there is a lot of creditability in the fact that these coaches are back again from last season. I think they liked the fact that there was one game being played at a time this year. They were able to focus in on one group of kids. The smaller number of players this year made it easier from a coaching position. The guys all got more playing time in a remarkable USL First Division Stadium.”
Three of Mann’s players from Des Moines qualified to appear in this year’s showcase.
“It is an event we sell our players on because of the level of opportunity they gain by coming here,” said Mann. “For me personally, it is a great event because I get to see the talent level the rest of the PDL has to offer.”
As for the Menace in the PDL this season, Mann is being cautious about making predictions.
“It is hard to tell where we are right now because we bring in so many players,” said Mann. “We parted ways with some veteran guys last season and went after a few 19-year-olds. We were fairly young, but it was good to see a few of our youth academy players coming up through the system. That has created some excitement because, for us, it is not only about wins and losses. It is about sending players to the next level, in which case events like the USL showcase help immensely.”
One player who will not need much help getting to the next level is two-time All-American goalkeeper James Thorpe from Franklin Pierce University. Thorpe stood out in a big way during the first match of Tuesday. On one play in particular, Thorpe snatched a ball redirected at his upper-90 and left no rebound opportunity.
“I looked at Tony Colistro (Thunder Bay Chill) and said ‘that right there should get him a few looks,’” said Mann of the save. “It was a great save on a well-placed shot.”
“Knowing it is a tryout, you look to make a name for yourself,” said Thorpe of the USL Showcase. “I have been in situations were I had to prove myself before. In high school there is competition to be the number one guy, in college, the same thing, and now here. An agent told me it would be in my best interest to be at this combine and I showed up hoping to make best out of it.”
A skilled athlete in direct conflict with Thorpe this week is Martin Nunez, a brilliant attacking player from Miami. In 2006 Nunez was named MVP of USL’s inaugural Super-20 Finals. From there Nunez has excelled wherever he has played. An All-American at Georgia Perimeter College this season, Nunez has now set his sights on playing at the highest level in North America.
“Most recently, I trained in Hawaii for three months,” said Nunez. “While I was there, I decided I wanted to play in MLS but I will play anywhere they want me. I had a trial with Chivas USA about a year ago but the week that I went there Bob Bradley was named Head Coach of the U.S. National Team and there was no one there to watch me. I was disappointed because I thought I had played very well. ”
Being from the Miami area, Nunez could end up with his hometown club, Miami FC.
“I think Miami FC would be a great fit for me,” said Nunez. “I know their style of play. It is very familiar and comparable to my own.”
Another second-year coach at the USL Men’s Player Showcase is Tony Glavin of the St. Louis Lions.
“It is always going to be a good event when you get high quality players in front of coaches,” said Glavin. “We had a player in this event last season and he ended up being signed by Portland. If the USL showcase was not in place, he might be out of the game right now.”
“I enjoy the USL system,” added Glavin. “There is a great deal of unity. This morning I had breakfast with a First and Second Division guy. They were both looking at one player in particular, deciding what would be the best fit for the player, the First or Second Division. They kept saying ‘if you don’t take him then I am going to pick him up.’ Things like that are great so see. Where else do you get that? For us it is about what is best for the player and which opportunity will suit them the most.”
