NEW YORK – Major League Soccer today announced the initial list of 52 college seniors from 31 Division I schools who have been invited to participate in the 2012 adidas MLS Player Combine. The list includes Santa Clara University senior defender Mykell Bates.

The annual player combine will be held in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Jan. 6-10, and is closed to the public.

The 2012 MLS SuperDraft will be the thirteenth annual SuperDraft presented by Major League Soccer. It will be held on January 12, 2012 at 12 p.m. (ET). The draft will be reduced from three rounds to two. The 19 MLS clubs will select a total of 38 players. The expansion Montreal Impact will have the first overall selection.

The 2012 MLS Supplemental Draft will follow. It is a secondary draft that will be held by Major League Soccer via conference call on January 17, 2012. The draft will be four rounds with all 19 MLS clubs participating.

According to a release by MLSsoccer.com, Santa Clara is tied for second all-time among schools on the West Coast in developing professional players, producing 17 players who have been drafted by MLS clubs. Since 2006, the Broncos have been among the top eight programs in the NCAA developing professional players overall.

The initial player list was determined by a panel of Division I college coaches, representing all conferences, who nominated and voted for players in conjunction with MLS coaches. These players will be joined by Generation adidas players, international invitees, additional collegiate players from NCAA Division II and III schools, NAIA schools, and Division I alternates.

The final player list of approximately 66 athletes, as well as additional Combine coaches and team assignments, will be announced at a later date.

2012 adidas MLS Player Combine Coaches 
**additional coaches will be announced at a later date.
Jim Barlow (Princeton); Jamie Clark (University of Washington); Brian Tompkins (Yale)

2012 adidas MLS Player Combine List by Position
GOALKEEPERS (4): Brian Rowe (UCLA); Chris Blais (University of South Florida); Jhojan Obando (Providence); Ryan Meara (Fordham).

DEFENDERS (16): Aaron Maund (Notre Dame); Andrew Duran (Creighton); Aubrey Perry (University of South Florida); Austin Berry (Louisville); Charles Rodriguez (UNC Charlotte); Chris Estridge (Indiana); Diogo de Almeida (SMU); Hunter Jumper (Virginia); James Kiffe (UC Santa Barbara); Justin Chavez (Tulsa); Matt Hedges (UNC); Mykell Bates (Santa Clara University); Nick Blake (UConn); Pat Sigler (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo); Shawn Singh (UCLA); Tommy Meyer (Indiana).

MIDFIELDERS (19): Alec Purdie (Indiana); Andy Rose (UCLA); Arthur Ivo (SMU); Brendan King (Notre Dame); Calum Mallace (Marquette); Christian Barreiro (UPenn); Eder Arreola (UCLA); Greg Jordan (Creighton); Kenney Walker (Louisville); Kevan George (UCF); Kirk Urso (UNC); Lance Rozenboom (New Mexico); Luis Silva (UC Santa Barbara); Michael Green (New Mexico); Miguel Ibarra (UC Irvine); Nick DeLeon (Louisville); Rafael Garcia (Cal State Northridge); Tony Walls (University of Wisconsin – Green Bay); Warren Creavalle (UCF).

FORWARDS (13): Antoine Hoppenot (Princeton); Billy Schuler (UNC); Brian Ownby (Virginia); Bryan Gaul (Bradley); Casey Townsend (Maryland); Colin Rolfe (Louisville); Ethan Finlay (Creighton); Evan James (UNC Charlotte); Evans Frimpong (Delaware); Karo Okiomah (High Point); Luckymore Mkosana (Dartmouth); Luke Holmes (Akron); Tony Cascio (UConn).

2012 adidas MLS Player Combine List by School 
University of Akron: Luke Holmes
Bradley University: Bryan Gaul
California Polytechnic State University: Pat Sigler   
California State University, Northridge: Rafael Garcia
University of California, Irvine: Miguel Ibarra
University of California, Los Angeles: Eder Arreola, Andy Rose, Brian Rowe, Shawn Singh
University of California, Santa Barbara: James Kiffe, Luis Silva
University of Central Florida: Warren Creavalle, Kevan George  
University of Connecticut: Nick Blake, Tony Cascio   
Creighton University: Andrew Duran, Greg Jordan, Ethan Finlay  
Dartmouth College: Luckymore Mkosana  
University of Delaware: Evans Frimpong  
Fordham University: Ryan Meara
High Point University: Karo Okiomah   
Indiana University: Chris Estridge, Tommy Meyer, Alec Purdie  
University of Louisville: Austin Berry, Nick DeLeon, Colin Rolfe, Kenney Walker 
Marquette University: Calum Mallace   
University of Maryland: Casey Townsend   
University of New Mexico: Michael Green, Lance Rozenboom   
University of North Carolina: Matt Hedges, Billy Schuler, Kirk Urso   
University of North Carolina, Charlotte: Evan James, Charles Rodriguez
University of Notre Dame: Brendan King, Aaron Maund   
University of Pennsylvania: Christian Barreiro   
Princeton University: Antoine Hoppenot
Providence College: Jhojan Obando
Santa Clara University: Mykell Bates
Southern Methodist University: Diogo de Almeida, Arthur Ivo
University of South Florida: Chris Blais, Aubrey Perry
Tulsa University: Justin Chavez
University of Virginia: Hunter Jumper, Brian Ownby
University of Wisconsin – Green Bay: Tony Walls