The adidas MLS Player Combine gives every MLS club's technical staff an up-close and personal look at the prospects that will be entering the 2016 SuperDraft, which is set to take place on Jan. 13 in Los Angeles.
The main attraction at the Combine are the three doubleheaders set for Jan. 8, Jan. 10 and Jan. 12 from StubHub Center in Carson, California. All six matches will be streamed by MLSsoccer.com.
Location
The Combine will be held in a the StubHub Center in Carson, California from Jan. 8-12. Fans can attend the matches for FREE.
Players, Participants & Combine Matches
A committee of MLS coaches and NCAA Division I coaches from every conference selected the 53 initial invitees, all of whom completed their college eligibility this season. On Jan. 4, 13 more players were added including five players who make up this year's Generation adidas class.
Those players were split up into four teams — Team Chaos, Team Control, Team Copa and Team Tango — to compete over three matchdays. The four teams will each play three games, with doubleheaders set for Jan. 8, 10 and 12. The games will be played at StubHub Center.
- Official Combine Guide (PDF)
- Combine player list (Combine Invitees) and match rosters
- Parchman: Top 10 SuperDraft prospects
- Armchair Analyst: Mock Draft
Sunday, Jan. 8
Tuesday, Jan. 10
- Team Chaos vs. Team Copa (1:15 PM PT/4:15 PM ET) - STREAM
- Team Control vs. Team Tango (3:00 PM PT/6:00 PM ET) - STREAM
Thursday, Jan. 12
- Team Copa vs. Team Control (10:00 AM PT/1:00 PM ET) - STREAM
- Team Chaos vs. Team Tango (11:30 AM PT/2:30 PM ET) - STREAM
In addition to the players, every MLS technical staff will have a presence in Southern California. This includes head coaches, assistant coaches, technical directors and general managers.
What else will the players be doing while there?
They will also be participating in interviews with coaching staffs and physical testing.
The interviews are a chance for each club's decision-maker to get to know the prospects before the SuperDraft.
The physical tests take place on January 7, with all players set to do a 30-meter speed test, a vertical jump and 5-10-5 agility test.
What are some success stories from the Combine?
One clear example of the Combine helping a player's stock came in 2014 when a little-known player from the Colorado School of Mines shot up draft boards. Few people knew about Tesho Akindele prior to the Combine, but everyone knew about him after.
Akindele became the No. 6 overall pick for FC Dallas and went on to win the 2014 MLS Rookie of the Year award; he has also become a full Canadian international since joining MLS.
Another Combine success story: Joao Plata. The striker was largely unknown to MLS scouts from his time at LDU Quito, but the Ecuadorian participated in the 2011 Combine and was selected in the third round of the 2011 SuperDraft. Plata spent two seasons with Toronto FC before joining Real Salt Lake in 2013. He had a breakout year in 2014, scoring 13 goals, which eventually led to a call-up to the Ecuadorian national team.
