As the players filed into Central Broward Regional Park to start the MLS Player Combine on Saturday afternoon, one prolific forward was particularly conspicuous by his absence.
Oregon State and Generation adidas forward Danny Mwanga withdrew from the Combine and did not travel to South Florida, according to MLS officials on the scene.
The purported reason, according to reports: Philadelphia is expected to pick Mwanga first overall in Thursday's MLS SuperDraft.
The move wouldn't come as much of a surprise after Union manager Peter Nowak flew out to Oregon to help persuade Mwanga -- a Democratic Republic of Congo native recently named Pac-10 player of the year after scoring 14 goals in 18 games -- to sign a MLS deal and shun the chance to head to France on trial.
If Philadelphia does opt to select Mwanga, the expansion side will add a goalscorer with quickness, unselfishness and vision in his repetoire, according to former Oregon State and current Cal State Stanislaus coach Dana Taylor.
"It's going to be a joy to watch this kid play in MLS because he will make other players better with his ability to see the game," said Taylor, who recruited Mwanga to Corvallis.
Condivo romp in opening game
Andrew Hoxie (William and Mary) notched a goal and assist as Condivo surged to a three-goal lead by halftime and opened the Combine with a resounding 4-1 win over F50i.
Hoxie opened the scoring after six minutes with a curling effort from the left side of the penalty area after being afforded plenty of time and space by the F50i back line.
Steven Kinney (Elon) doubled Condivo's lead on 21 minutes after he held off his defender and guided home a diving header from a free kick just inside the midfield stripe.
As Condivo continued to assert their dominance, the blue-clad side converted a well-worked third goal to put the game beyond reach. Tony Tchani (Generation adidas/Virginia) started the move in the middle of the park with Zach Loyd (North Carolina) and Hoxie continuing the combination play before Eric Alexander (Indiana) completed the move in style with a fine low finish.
F50i improved after the break as both sides substituted liberally and shared in a pair of goals in a less-eventful second stanza. Othaniel Yanez (Louisville) extended Condivo's lead in the 63rd minute in style as his stunning long-distance drive provided the exclamation point on the rout.
Drew Yates (Maryland) grabbed a consolation goal from the spot five minutes later after Ryan Peterman (San Diego) bundled over Ross LeBauex (Virginia) in the penalty area.
Jabulani, Predator X share the spoils in scoreless draw
The excitement from the opening game didn't carry over into the nightcap as Jabulani and Predator X slogged to a 0-0 draw as the conditions worsened.
Predator X thought it had secured the winner early in the second half after Jack McInerney (Generation adidas/U.S. U-17) volleyed home a feed over the top by Mike Seamon (Villanova), but the assistant referee flagged for offside and the goal was chalked off.
Both sides enjoyed chances to break the deadlock as the match entered the late stages, but couldn't find the decisive breakthrough.
McInerney couldn't turn in Samuel Appiah's (Boston University) low cross from the right wing, while Two-Boys Gumede (UAB) fired a low drive just wide of the left hand post to ensure both sides would sit second in the table heading into the second set of doubleheaders on Monday.
Conditions force schedule change
The MLS Player Combine may have survived the rain and the wind that swept through South Florida on Saturday afternoon, but the poor weather certainly took its toll on Central Broward Regional Park.
Field conditions deteriorated on the main field -- a half-bowl stadium generally used for cricket matches -- as the day progressed with the far side of the pitch increasingly muddy around the two dirt swaths in the center of the stadium.
"Luckily for me, this past collegiate season for me at Wake was quite rainy," Wake Forest and Generation adidas midfielder Corben Bone said after playing in the second game of the day. "I'm pretty used to it. I've played in the rain quite a bit. (These were) tough conditions, but we found a way. The ball was moving pretty quickly."
All of the precipitation forced Combine officials to rearrange the schedule for the remaining three days. Players will now have an off day on Sunday before returning to the field for doubleheaders on Monday and Tuesday.
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
