The opportunity to impress has now passed. Now the professionals hopefuls face an excruciating wait to see whether their work at the adidas MLS Player Combine earned them a place among the 64 players slated to be selected in Thursday's SuperDraft.
The Combine always offers players the chance to show whether they deserve an opportunity to earn a spot at a higher level. Some players thrived under the pressure and the scrutiny in this year's Combine, while others found the standard of play too high to meet. Regardless of personal success or failure, most participants saw the Combine as an experience worth remembering.
"It's been a lot of fun, to say the least," said William & Mary forward Andrew Hoxie, who tied for the Combine goalscoring lead with a pair of goals in three games. "It's nice to play with the best guys at the collegiate level in the U.S."
The performances reflected the talent level on display. Chilly conditions mitigated the fitness concerns raised by inactivity and permitted players to expend energy they might not have possessed on the warm and sunny days usually on offer during a Florida winter. The entertainment value and the pace of play ticked northward from last year as a byproduct of the fluky meteorological occurrence.
With the six scheduled games now in the books, the onus shifts to the coaches and executives in attendance to determine which players have performed well enough to hear their name called on Thursday afternoon. Although the future is now out of their hands, the players still pondered whether they helped or hurt their draft stock with their performances.
"I thought I played OK throughout the three games, but it was tough," Generation adidas and U.S. U-17 forward Jack McInerney said. "The other guys were bigger, faster and stronger, so I had to adapt pretty quickly."
After spending the past four days together, the group of approximately 75 players parted ways. Some players will head from south Florida to Philadelphia to attend the SuperDraft in person, while the remaining participants will disperse to locations across the country. Almost all of them will follow the SuperDraft closely to see whether they will have a future in MLS.
"It's going to be a fun time," Akron and Generation adidas midfielder Blair Gavin said. "Everything's obviously up in the air right now. No one's really sure about anything. Once you know where you're going and you have that relationship, you're just excited for that team and wear that uniform with pride."
As the preparations for the SuperDraft transition from Florida to Pennsylvania, here is a look at which players observers thought potentially boosted or harmed their draft stock during the Combine.
RISING
1.
Tony Tchani
, Virginia midfielder (Generation adidas). The Cameroonian midfielder didn't have far to rise, but his dominating performances ensured he left south Florida as perhaps the most impressive player at the Combine.
2. Zach Loyd, North Carolina midfielder (Generation adidas). His ability to play well in multiple positions (right midfield and left back, to name two spots he played during the weekend) boosts his value significantly.
3. Blair Gavin, Akron midfielder (Generation adidas). Keeps the play moving through midfield without any fuss.
4. Justin Morrow, Notre Dame defender. The converted midfielder may have only one year as a defender under his belt, but his ceaseless running up the left flank showed the type of two-way play most MLS coaches love to see out of their fullbacks.
5. Drew Yates, Maryland midfielder. May struggle to find his position at the next level, but he intrigued teams with his consistency and his ability to influence matches.
Five other risers: Mike Seamon (Villanova midfielder), Collen Warner (Portland midfielder), Michael Stephens (UCLA midfielder), Eric Alexander (Indiana midfielder), Kwaku Nyamekye (Harvard defender).
FALLING
1.
Sean Johnson
, South Florida goalkeeper (Generation adidas). Combine performances showed the U.S. U-20 international is a considerable distance away from contributing at the MLS level right now.
2. Andre Akpan, Harvard forward. Hermann Trophy finalist couldn't find his rhythm and didn't work back enough off the ball to try to regain it.
3. Andrew Wiedeman, California forward (Generation adidas). Struggled to make an impact without the proper service.
4. Ofori Sarkodie, Indiana defender. The former U.S. youth international fullback wanted to show his ability going forward, but didn't take advantage of the rare opportunities he did carve out for himself.
5. Bright Dike, Notre Dame forward. Burly forward didn't display the touch or the finishing ability to match his MLS-ready frame.
Five other fallers: Tim Ream (St. Louis defender), Ross LeBauex (Virginia midfielder), Nelson Becerra (St. John's midfielder), Jovan Bubonja (Illinois-Chicago goalkeeper), Nick Cardenas (San Diego State defender).
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
