Men's Soccer: Two Invited to MLS Combine
December 14, 2007 12:02 PM | General
December 14, 2007
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - West Virginia University men’s soccer players Andy Wright and Dan Stratford have been chosen to participate in the 2008 adidas Major League Soccer (MLS) player combine. The annual combine will be held at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Jan. 11-15. The MLS has invited 54 college seniors from 33 Division I schools.
The coaching and management staffs of all 14 MLS teams will be in attendance to scout talent which concludes three days before the 2008 MLS SuperDraft. The 2008 MLS SuperDraft will be held Friday, Jan. 18, in Baltimore, Md.
Wright closed his senior campaign with six goals, six assists and 18 points. He earned BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year honors at the end of the regular season and was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Men’s Division I all-Northeast Region first team and All-America second team by CollegeSoccerNews.com.
Stratford closed his senior campaign with 27 career assists to set a new school record in that category. He led the Mountaineers with six goals and eight assists while playing in all 22 matches. Stratford earned all-BIG EAST second team honors and was named to the third team NSCAA Northeast Region.
The initial list of players for this year’s combine was determined by a select panel of Division I college coaches representing all conferences who nominated and voted for players in conjunction with MLS coaches.
This is the second consecutive year that two Mountaineers have been selected to participate. Last season, Jarrod Smith and Nick Noble were invited to the combine, and were eventually drafted. Smith went as the first overall pick in the draft to the new expansion team Toronto, while Noble went seventh overall to the Chicago Fire.
