Major League Soccer and adidas announced on Monday the complete 2010 Generation adidas class and two additional collegiate senior signings that will enter the professional ranks for the 2010 Major League Soccer season. Highlighting this year's signings are four members of the U.S. squad for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, two players that represented the United States in the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup, and all three finalists for this year's M.A.C. Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top soccer player in Division I.
These players are among about 75 top pro prospects that will showcase their talents at the adidas MLS Player Combine Jan. 8-12 at Central Broward Regional Park in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The 2010 MLS SuperDraft will take place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on Thursday, Jan. 14 at 2 p.m. ET. The first hour will be broadcast live on ESPN2; the remainder of the draft can be followed on MLSnet.com. The complete rosters and game schedules for the adidas MLS Player Combine are below.
Players Corben Bone (Wake Forest University), Zac Herold (U.S. U-17 MNT), Sean Johnson (UCF), Danny Mwanga (Oregon State University), Amobi Okugo (University of California - Los Angeles), Ike Opara (Wake Forest University), Tony Tchani (University of Virginia), and Andrew Wiedeman (University of California) joined the previously announced players Teal Bunbury (University of Akron), Dilly Duka (Rutgers University), Blair Gavin (University of Akron), and Jack McInerney (U.S. U-17 MNT) as members of the 2010 Generation adidas class. The 12-player group is considered one of the strongest Generation adidas classes in MLS history.
Players who join MLS as part of the Generation adidas program receive unprecedented opportunities to develop their game and hone their skills at the professional level in Major League Soccer. In addition to training and playing with one of Major League Soccer's 16 professional clubs, Generation adidas players receive educational grants to further their college education. Generation adidas players do not count against an MLS team's salary budget. Last year's class of nine Generation adidas players produced seven first round selections in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, including the number one overall pick, Steve Zakuani (Seattle Sounders FC) and 2009 MLS Rookie of the Year Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy, No.3).
In addition to the Generation adidas signings, MLS added two more collegiate seniors to their list of signees as midfielder Austin da Luz (Wake Forest) and goalkeeper Brian Perk (UCLA) joined fellow senior signees Andre Akpan (Harvard University), Zach Loyd (UNC-Chapel Hill) and Toni Stahl (University of Connecticut) as college seniors to sign MLS contracts in advance of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.
Four of MLS' 2010 signees: Duka, Johnson, Opara, and Perk, were members of the U.S. roster for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Suez, Egypt. Duka, Opara, and Perk appeared in all three matches as the U.S. U-20 MNT finished one place shy of advancing to the tournament's Round of 16. Duka provided one of the U.S. team's four goals in group play while Perk served as a team captain in the tournament. Johnson did not appear in the U-20 World Cup, but he was a member of the game-day roster for all three matches.
McInerney and Herold enter the Generation adidas program from the U.S. U-17 MNT ranks. Both players were members of the U.S. Soccer U-17 Residency Program in Bradenton, Fla. and appeared in all four matches of the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup, helping the squad to advance to the Round of 16. McInerney scored 11 goals in 15 games for the U-17 squad in 2009, including two goals in the U-17 World Cup, while Herold anchored the defense from his outside back position in 15 games.
Two of the three finalists for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy, Bone and Bunbury, are members of the 2010 Generation adidas class while the third finalist, Akpan, has also signed with MLS as one of the League's four collegiate senior signings. The M.A.C. Hermann Trophy winner will be announced on Friday, January 8 in St. Louis, Mo.
The complete rosters and game schedules for the adidas MLS Player Combine follow:
2010 Generation adidas class:
Player Pos. Age Hometown College/Youth Club National Team Experience
Corben Bone M 21 Plano, TX Wake Forest University US U-16, U-17, U-18, U-20
A M.A.C. Hermann Trophy finalist and two-time first-team All-American, Bone finished his career with 15 goals and 38 assists. Bone helped Wake Forest to the top of the ACC regular season standings and led his team to the semifinals of the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Was named the ACC Freshman of the year in 2007.
Teal Bunbury F 19 Prior Lake, MN University of Akron Canada U-17, U-20
An NSCAA/Performance Subaru First Team All-American and finalist for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy he led the nation with 17 goals while helping his team to the 2009 NCAA Championship final.
Dilly Duka M 20 Montville, NJ Rutgers/Red Bull Youth Academy US U-20
Played two seasons at Rutgers University, earning second-team All-BIG EAST honors in 2008 before forgoing his junior season to join the U.S. U-20 squad for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Appeared in all three matches, starting two, for the U.S. in World Cup play.
Blair Gavin M 20 Louisville, KY U. of Akron/ Sereno Soccer Club US U-20, U-18
Gavin scored five goals, earning First Team All-MAC honors in 2009 and helping to lead his team to the 2009 NCAA Championship final.
Zac Herold D 17 Port St. Lucie, FL West Pines United Club US U-17
A member of the U.S. Soccer U-17 Residency program since Fall 2007, Herold appeared in the all four matches of as the U.S. advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Sean Johnson GK 20 Lilburn, GA UCF US U-20
Was a member of the U-20 Men's National Team roster for the 2009 U-20 World Cup. Did not play during the tournament but has three caps in friendly competition as a member of the U-20 National Team.
Jack McInerney F 17 Alpharetta, GA Cobb Soccer Club US U-17
Appeared in all four games for the U.S. in the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup, scoring two goals and helping the squad to the Round of 16. Has earned Was a member of the U.S. Soccer U-17 Residency program since the Fall of 2007.
Danny Mwanga F 18 Kinshasa, Dem. Rep. Of Congo Oregon State University
A 2009 NSCAA/Performance Subaru Second Team All-American and 2009 Pac-10 Player of the Year, he scored 14 goals for the Oregon State Beavers this season.
Amobi Okugo M 18 Sacramento, CA UCLA US U-17, U-18, U-20
A two-time Parade All-American in high school, he earned Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors this past season as a rookie at UCLA. He played with the U-20 MNT at the 2009 CONCACAF U-20 Championships and with the U-18 MNT at the 2009 Australian Youth Festival, scoring two goals in three games. Okugo was a member of the U.S. Soccer Residency Program from the Fall 2006 through the Fall 2007 semester.
Ike Opara D 20 Durham, NC Wake Forest University US U-20
A two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year honoree, he scored three goals and added two assists from his central-defender position while helping Wake Forest to the top of the ACC regular season standings and the semifinals of the 2009 NCAA Tournament. He appeared in all three games for the U.S. during the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Tony Tchani M/F 20 Norfolk, VA University of Virginia
After earning ACC Freshman of the Year honors in 2008, Tchani scored eight goals in 2009, en route to first-team All-American honors. He helped lead the University of Virginia to their sixth NCAA Championship in 2009.
Andrew Wiedeman F 20 San Ramon, CA University of California US U-18
A 2009 First Team All-Pac-10 selection scored 30 goals in his three-year career for the Bears.
2010 MLS Collegiate Senior Signings:
Player Pos. Age Hometown College/Youth Club National Team Experience
Andre Akpan F 22 Grand Prairie, TX Harvard University US U-20
Finished his collegiate career at Harvard University as the school's all-time leading scorer with 127 points (47 goals, 33 assists) and was the 2009 Ivy League Player of the Year. He is a three-time finalist for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy including 2009.
Austin da Luz M 22 Winston-Salem, NC Wake Forest University
Tallied six goals and 15 assists for the Deacons in 2009 and was named First Team All-ACC.
Brian Perk GK 20 Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. UCLA US U-20
An NSCAA/Performance Subaru Second Team All-American from UCLA, he was a three-year starter for the Bruins, finishing his career with a 1.05 goals against average. Earned the starting goalkeeper position in the 2009 CONCACAF U-20 Championships and served as team captain during the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, appearing in all three matches. Was in U.S. Soccer Residency Program from Fall of 2004 through Spring of 2006 semester.
Zach Loyd M/F 22 Verdigris, OK UNC-Chapel Hill
Made a move to the center back position in 2009, anchoring a defense that allowed only 12 goals during the 2009 season. Loyd tallied two goals and two assists in 2009 to earn Soccer America first-team All-American honors.
Toni Stahl M 24 Tuusula, Finland UCONN Finland U-17, U-18
Began his playing career in the HJK helping the U17 squad to 2001 and 2002 National Championships. He joined UCONN in 2006 and earned BIG EAST Rookie of the Year honors that same year. He was named to the All-BIG EAST first-team in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Added BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year and second-team All-American honors to his resume in 2009.
Complete 2010 adidas MLS Combine Rosters:
Team Jabulani
Olukorede Aiyegbusi (North Carolina State University)
Kris Banghart (University of Denver)
Teal Bunbury (University of Akron)
Ben Clack (St. John's University)
Dilly Duka (Rutgers University)
David Estrada (University of California - Los Angeles)
Two-Boys Gumede (University of Alabama - Birmingham)
Brooks Haggerty (University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill)
Kyle Nakazawa (University of California - Los Angeles)
Mike Pezza (University of Connecticut)
Zack Schilawski (Wake Forest University)
Chris Schuler (Creighton University)
Toni Stahl (University of Connecticut)
Kevin Tangney (University of Maryland)
Collen Warner (University of Portland)
Adam Welch (Lehigh University)
Jason Yeisley (Penn State University)
Amobi Okugo (University of California - Los Angeles)
Coaches: Jorge Salcedo (University of California - Los Angeles) and Nathan Williams (Placer United Soccer Club)
Team Predator X
Andre Akpan (Harvard University)
Samuel Appiah (Boston University)
Chad Borak (California State University, Northridge)
Jovan Bubonja (University of Illinois - Chicago)
Conor Chinn (University of San Francisco)
Austin da Luz (Wake Forest University)
Phil Edginton (University of Louisville)
Mauro Fuzetti (University of Michigan)
Blair Gavin (University of Akron)
Nane Joseph (Old Dominion University)
John (Jack) McInerney (U-17 MNT)
Joseph (JT) Noone (Temple University)
Kwaku Nyamekye (Harvard University)
Tim Ream (St. Louis University)
Mike Seamon (Villanova University)
Seth Sinovic (Creighton University)
Michael Stephens (University of California - Los Angeles)
Corben Bone (Wake Forest University)
Coaches: Matthew Spear (Davidson College) and Brad Wylde (Charlotte Soccer Academy)
Team F50i
Nelson Becerra (St. John's University)
Ronnie Bouemboue (North Carolina State University)
Nick Cardenas (San Diego State University)
Justin Davis (University of New Mexico)
Irving Garcia (University of California - Irvine)
Martin Hedevag (University of California - Santa Barbara)
Zac Herold (U-17 MNT)
Sean Johnson (UCF)
Ross LaBauex (University of Virginia)
Tennant McVea (Loyola University Maryland)
Pascal Milien (University of Tampa)
John Moore (Stanford University)
Danny Mwanga (Oregon State University)
Conor O'Brien (Bucknell University)
Ofori Sarkodie (Indiana University)
David Walker (University of California - Santa Barbara)
Kwame Watson-Siriboe (University of Connecticut)
Andrew Wiedeman (University of California)
Drew Yates (University of Maryland)
Coaches: Bob Gray (Marshall University) and Larry Sunderland (Chicago Fire)
Team Condivo
Eric Alexander (Indiana University)
Tyler Barry (University of California)
Fred Braun (University of Louisville)
Bright Dike (University of Notre Dame)
Julien Edwards (Drake University)
Nick Elenz-Martin (Brown University)
Andrew Hoxie (College of William & Mary)
Steven Kinney (Elon University)
Isaac Kissi (University of Dayton)
Zach Loyd (University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill)
Justin Morrow (University of Notre Dame)
Ike Opara (Wake Forest University)
Brian Perk (University of California - Los Angeles)
Ryan Peterman (University of San Diego)
Tony Tchani (University of Virginia)
Michael Thomas (University of Notre Dame)
Steffen Vroom (Depaul University)
Othaniel Yanez (University of Louisville)
Coaches: Michael Noonan (Brown University) and Leigh Cowlishaw (Richmond Kickers)
MLS PLAYER COMBINE GAME SCHEDULE
All times eastern and schedule is subject to change. All games will be held on the Main Event Field
Saturday, January 9
2:30 PM Condivo vs. F50i
4:15 PM Predator X vs. Jabulani
Sunday, January 10
2:30 PM Predator X vs. Condivo
4:15PM F50i vs. Jabulani
Tuesday, January 12
9:30 AM Jabulani vs. Condivo
11:15 AM Predator X vs. F50i
