'07 combine crop lacking in blue-chip prospects

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Given an inability to obtain the exact reason from MLS as to why the MLS combine was shifted to Lockhart Stadium in Florida this year, one can only surmise that MLS decided that the weather problems that had plagued the combine the last two years in Los Angeles would be too much of a potential pitfall for a third successive year.

For the four-day duration of the combine (held Jan. 5-8) the sunny weather in Florida was as advertised, and unfortunately for many of the MLS coaches and scouts in attendance, so was the talent. With the absence of several players, such as Maurice Edu, Bryan Arguez and Chris Seitz, expected to be surefire high draft choices, it was hard to dispel the notion that the senior crop of players on display would be lackluster, especially in comparison to previous years. After the first day of workouts, one coach commented that "this year's [combine talent] is the worst I've seen in five years."

Tony Quinn/WireImage

Greg Dalby might have moved up the draft board after impressing at the combine.

Other coaches were not as quite as harsh, Kansas City head coach Curt Onalfo said he felt the level of talent was "similar, with no real drastic change from past years."

However, it was clear to all in attendance that there were very few difference-makers, with the possible exception of Notre Dame's Greg Dalby, on display at the combine. As Los Angeles GM Alexi Lalas said, "the prevailing wisdom is that it's a weak draft."

The usual caveats of course apply when assessing combine performances. One must factor in unfamiliarity with teammates and playing out of position and as Lalas noted, "It's so hard because for every player that you look at as mediocre, you can put a player that has established himself in MLS in that same position when he was that age and he might have looked mediocre too. It's all about development."

That said, here are my impressions of the combine:

Goalkeepers

If there was ever any doubt about Chris Seitz's status as the No. 1 goalkeeper prospect, then the performances of the various goalkeepers here at the combine put an end to that discussion.

UNC's Justin Hughes looked out of sorts throughout, performing erratically and in particular having a hard time handling the ball in general, whether it was on saves or crosses. "Hurt himself," was one coach's assessment.

Clemson's Phil Marfuggi was another who failed to live up to his press clippings. He was generally solid but unspectacular. Marfuggi showed a good presence in his penalty box, but he was beaten from range a few times, and doesn't appear to have the athleticism or shot-stopping prowess that separates top goalkeepers from the rest.

Of the goalies on display at the combine, Chris Konopka from Providence may have risen to the top of the heap simply by making the fewest errors and displaying an exemplary work ethic throughout the proceedings.

Defenders

Unlike last year's combine which contained a plethora of defensive prospects, this year's crop isn't nearly as deep. To no real surprise, most of the attention centered around the trio of Jay Needham from SMU, UNC's Michael Harrington and Bakary Soumare from Virginia.

Needham lived up to his reputation and cemented his status as one of the top center backs available. He's composed on the ball, very self assured and shows good defensive instincts. At this point he's a first-round lock and has plenty of admirers among the coaches. If he has a weakness, it's definitely a distinct lack of pace which could get exposed at the pro level. However, while he may never ascend to all-star status, there's no doubt that Needham will be a very safe choice in the upcoming draft.

The consensus on Harrington is that he's the top left back available in the draft. The difference in opinion rests on just how good a prospect people think he is. "Outstanding, a very good player -- a guy in my opinion that can play anywhere on the back line at the next level," said one coach. From what I saw, I wouldn't rate Harrington quite that high -- while he's solid, he didn't strike me as special. Athletically, he doesn't appear to be top-notch and really didn't stand out too much. He probably also needs to work on improving his physical conditioning and stamina. One school of thought is that he might have been playing down to the level of his competition. As one coach said, "[Harrington] hasn't been tested too much defensively at the combine so we haven't seen that side of his game enough."

The rising star at this point would appear to be Virginia's Bakary Soumare. At 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, Soumare has the size, speed and physical prowess that make coaches drool. There's no doubt he's still raw, but there's a huge upside here that MLS teams will be more than willing to invest in. Soumare is a probable high draft choice at this point in time, although I'd question his defensive awareness and man-marking ability to some extent.

As for the remaining defenders, there were very few draftable prospects. Washington's Ty Harden showed good physical presence at times, but really needs to work on his ball technique and distribution and his lack of athleticism handicaps him at times. Duke's Kyle Helton was named by Robbie Findley as one of the toughest defenders he faced at the combine but was dismissed by many as an average prospect. "He probably wouldn't be one of our targets, he's just been OK so far," was one opinion.

Midfielders

For the most part the midfielders, other than Dalby who earned rave reviews, failed to impress. It's easy to make the case that the midfielders were the weakest group at the combine. Despite the presence of several "name" players such as St. Louis' John DiRaimondo, Akron's Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Virginia's Nico Colaluca and UNC-Greensboro's Scott Jones, it was hard to envision any of these midfielders other than Dalby making any real impact at the next level.

DiRaimondo, Ubiparipovic and Indiana's Josh Tudela are a trio of midfielders in the same mold. All are undersized technicians who cover a lot of ground, but struggle to impose themselves on a game or make any real telling contributions. "Solid" was the common adjective used by coaches when describing this trio, although DiRaimondo and Tudela remain well-regarded by some coaches.

Colaluca is envisioned by some coaches as a possible top-five selection. However, for most of the combine Colaluca did nothing to indicate he'd be worthy of such a lofty draft slot, although he sparkled briefly on the final day with a fine long-range goal and some nice runs on the wing.

He's good on the ball but didn't make the types of telling passes or display the creative vision one would like to see from a player with his skill set. Factor in his suspect temperament (he was ejected in the Final Four for slapping UCLA's Mike Zaher), and in my opinion Colaluca is a gamble as a high draft choice. "Skillful and good technically, but height works against him," said one coach.

A potential sleeper is Dalby's college teammate Nate Norman. After a highly decorated high school career, Norman was somewhat of an underachiever in college, earning a regular starting spot only in his senior season. However, Norman exhibits far better on-the-ball skills than your average American player, beats people off the dribble and could develop into a useful wide midfielder in the pros. One coach noted, "He has pretty good one-on-one ability, I like the way he gets past people."

Eric Ebert from Cal showed some promise as a defensive midfielder, offering good size and an aggressive presence in the holding role, although he lacks range and speed. North Carolina's Corey Ashe flashes at times with his pace down the flanks, but ultimately his lack of size (he's 5-6) will likely hurt his pro prospects.

Forwards

With Charlie Davies signing with Swedish club Hammarby, most of the attention was focused on Oregon State's Robbie Findley.

Findley didn't perform quite as well as expected but showed enough glimpses of his skill and goal-scoring potential throughout the combine to easily solidify his spot as the top senior forward. Said one coach, "I think he's got a lot of talent, a lot of ability, a good eye for goal, but I think he can probably give a lot more than what he's shown at the combine."

Clemson's Frederico Moojen is a prospect who draws mixed reviews. He doesn't have the flair one would associate with someone with his Brazilian roots and lacks pace. However, Moojen looks like he could become a decent target man at the pro level with his aerial ability, positional sense and knack for holding up the ball, although it's doubtful he would ever score regularly at the pro level. Some coaches liked his ability to be "in the right place at the right time."

At the opposite end of the spectrum, diminutive Clemson speedster Dane Richards impressed with his speed and attacking verve, although his shooting looks to be a little inconsistent. He's probably best suited to a forward role out wide if he learns to deliver a cross consistently. "Fast, quick, serves a good ball, pace really stands out," was one coach's assessment.

U.S. U-17 national team player and Generation adidas signing Abdus Ibrahim showed up for only the final day of the combine. At this stage, Ibrahim's definitely not the second coming of Josmer Altidore. He's still too raw and will need to spend plenty of time in the weight room to bulk up. He does possess pace and above-average technique, but may ultimately be best suited for a wide midfield role since his finishing skills and ability to be a lead forward are still questionable.

A possible sleeper here could be small-school prospect Tommy Krizanovic from Jacksonville. Krizanovic doesn't appear to possess any outstanding traits other than his track record of scoring goals (47 in 54 career starts), but seems to have good instincts for the position. One could envision him potentially developing into more of an opportunistic goal poacher type who scores a lot of "ugly" goals.

Stock Rising

1. Greg Dalby, Notre Dame -- After his combine showing, Dalby may have moved into the upper echelon of the draft. He's a very fundamentally sound player with good positioning instincts and is very composed on the ball. He's not going to make an impact on the offensive end, but Dalby would be a good fit for teams seeking a pure holding midfielder. Although he sees himself primarily as a central midfielder who can play center back, he also showed enough at center back at the combine to suggest that it's a position he could play full-time down the line.

"A very intelligent player, probably one of the most intellectual players in the draft. Is a real student of the game and is a great passer of the ball," was one opinion.

Rutgers Athletic Communications/Other

Rutger's Nick LaBrocca raised his stock at the MLS combine.

2. Mike Sambursky, South Carolina -- The forward from South Carolina filled in at right back throughout the combine and looked like a total natural at that spot despite professing to having never played defense before. Sambursky is fast, aggressive and due to his forward roots has far better ball skills and attacking instincts than your typical right back and plenty of upside. Said one coach, "Physical, not afraid to tackle, looked pretty good."

3. John Cunliffe, Fort Lewis College -- A prolific scorer at the Division II level (75 goals in 82 games), the left-footed Cunliffe, a native of Bolton in England, impressed with his willingness to run at people as well as his delivery from the left wing. Aiding his draft prospects was the versatility he displayed in playing left midfield and left forward with equal aplomb. He finished with a goal and three assists and proved he could play at the Division I level.

4. Nick LaBrocca, Rutgers -- The Rutgers product was little-known entering the combine but made his mark among a weak midfield cast. LaBrocca's main asset is his motor, and his ability to cover a lot of ground. "Busy, good passer of the ball," was one opinion.

5. Edson Elcock, Old Dominion -- The 5-7 Elcock is another player who compensates for his lack of size with good movement off the ball and ability to run at people. One of the few players at the combine who seemed to relish one-on-one situations, Elcock displayed good ability to beat people off the dribble.

6. Ryan Guy, San Diego -- Guy earns high marks for his intangibles, chiefly his work ethic and drive (he organized a workout for California-based players prior to the combine) which offset his lack of size. After a slow start at the combine, he showed nice offensive instincts, smart runs into space and an ability to finish.

"Good intelligent movement, good on the ball, pretty clean," said one coach.

Stock Falling

1. Ryan Solle, Wake Forest -- The Wake Forest playmaker was touted as being one of the most creative midfielders available but failed to meet expectations. Solle showed nice technique on the ball but was too often missing in action and rarely delivered any penetrating passes. He compounded the situation with poor tackling and seeming to shy away from physical contact at times. One coach felt that Solle had been the biggest disappointment at the combine and said, "[Solle] really doesn't have the physical element to his game that we'd like."

2. Scott Jones, UNC-Greensboro -- Jones entered the combine with a big reputation but didn't back it up. There were a few flashes with a nice pass or a threatening run into space, but for a player with his accolades and college production, he simply wasn't active enough. He also didn't impress on the technical end either. "I had heard a lot of things about him but hadn't seen him play. Thought he was very average," said one coach.

3. Randi Patterson, UNC-Greensboro -- Advertised as a prolific goal-scoring threat, Patterson was anything but that. It's obvious that the physical tools are there. He's fast and athletic and shows a willingness to shoot, but too often fails to connect with any kind of authority. Patterson's a far bigger project than one would expect at this stage of his career. "He's got a lot of speed and athleticism but is probably a bit too raw. He's one of those guys you'll need to take in and work with since he's still got some more developing to do," said one coach.

4. Jarrod Smith, West Virginia -- The New Zealand international was peripheral to the action for the most part. Smith tries hard and has good touch on the ball and could develop into a target man but rarely looked like a goal threat. His lack of pace also works against him. "Don't have a high opinion of him really," said one coach.

5. Chris Loftus, Duke -- After a senior year in which he lost his starting job, Loftus' stock was already low and if anything slipped further at the combine. He disappointed those hoping to see a poor man's Peter Crouch. The 6-5 Duke product showed poor foot speed and touch on the ball and at this point his ability to win the ball in the air is his only real asset. His one shot at a pro career may rest on his willingness and ability to make a switch to central defense (something that was strangely not tried at the combine) and finding a team willing to develop him as a project.

Jen Chang is the U.S. editor for ESPNsoccernet and also writes a blog Armchair Musings. He can be reached at: armchairsweeper@gmail.com.