Dec. 1, 2005
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara University men's soccer forward Kelechi Igwe is among the 54 collegiate players invited by Major League Soccer to participate in the 2006 adidas MLS Player Combine.
Igwe, a native of Belmont, Calif., appeared in 80 matches in his four seasons as a Bronco and was a second-team all-West Coast Conference selection as a senior. He tied for the team leader in assists this year with seven, which equaled his previous career total.
The son of Tony Igwe, a University of San Francisco grad who played against Pele' when the Nigerian National Team played against Santos in 1972, he scored 15 goals in his career at Santa Clara. He scored twice in Santa Clara's 3-1 victory over Michigan in the 2003 NCAA College Cup match that qualified the Broncos for the tournament's semifinals. Igwe is the only player from the WCC invited to the trials.
The coaching staffs and general managers from all 12 MLS teams will be in attendance to scout talent at the 2006 adidas MLS Player Combine, which concludes five days before the 2006 MLS SuperDraft. The 2006 MLS SuperDraft will be held on Friday, January 20, 2006 in Philadelphia, Pa. in conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Of the 48 players selected in the four rounds of the 2005 MLS SuperDraft, 39 had participated in the 2005 adidas Player Combine, including New England Revolution draftee Michael Parkhurst, a Generation adidas player and Major League Soccer's 2005 Gatorade Rookie of the Year .
The initial list of players for the 2006 adidas Player Combine was determined by a select panel of Division I college coaches representing all conferences, who nominated and voted for players in conjunction with MLS coaches. Youth players from the Generation adidas program will join additional collegiate players from NCAA Division II and III schools, NAIA schools and Division I alternates to finalize the 2006 adidas Player Combine. These players will be announced in the near future.
The 2006 adidas MLS Player Combine will separate all players into four teams and feature doubleheaders at The Home Depot Center on the mornings of January 13, 14 and 15. Players will arrive on January 12 and participate in organizational training sessions that same afternoon at The Home Depot Center. The Torrance Marriott will serve as the official headquarters of the adidas MLS Player Combine and the host hotel for players and coaching staffs.
Players in bold are on teams that Santa Clara faced in 2005.
GOALKEEPERS: Ray Burse (Ohio State); Eric Kronberg (California); Chris Dunsheath (Bradley); Andy Gruenbaum (Kentucky).
DEFENDERS: Kenny Bertz (Maryland); Chris Lancos (Maryland); Daniel Wasson (Tulsa); Kyle Veris (Ohio State); Tyson Wahl (California); Trevor McEachron (Old Dominion); Jeff Curtin (Georgetown); Cory Farabi (Drake); Justin Moore (Clemson); Anthony Noriega (George Mason); John Queeley (N.C. State); Danny Wynn (Saint Louis); Jordan Harvey (UCLA); Willis Forko (Connecticut); Stephen Shirley (VCU).
MIDFIELDERS: Josh Alcala (South Carolina); Brian Plotkin (Indiana); Blake Camp (Duke); Danny Kramer (Duke); Jeff Carroll (St. John's); Mike Chabala (Washington); David Chun (SMU); Brian Devlin (Penn State); David Walters (Penn State); Yohann Mauger (Akron); Dan Paladini (Cal State Northridge); Matt Wieland (Creighton); Lance Watson (New Mexico); Jorge Flor (Oral Roberts); Darren Spicer (Princeton); Mpho Moloi (Connecticut); Justin Moose (Wake Forest).
FORWARDS: Mike Ambersley (Indiana); Jason Garey (Maryland); Kyle Brown (Tulsa); Calen Carr (California); Matt Groenwald (St. John's); Duke Hashimoto (SMU); Brian Civilikas (Old Dominion); Tony Donatelli (Temple); Ross McKenzie (Akron); Omar Jarun (Dayton); Jimmy Klatter (Eastern Illinois); Aaron King (N.C. State); Karim Dietz (Birmingham-Southern); Jeff Rowland (New Mexico); David Leung (Oral Roberts); Ryan Johnson (Oregon State); Kelechi Igwe (Santa Clara); Dominic Oduro (VCU).
