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Major League Soccer has divulged the location and timing details for the 2013 MLS Super Draft and Player Combine and, get this, it's going to be in Indianapolis. Why? Because obviously Indianapolis has a HUGE soccer following noted by all of their great and wonderful Indianapolis soccer teams like... muh. The do have an NPSL team by way of FC Indiana, but that's a far reach. Whatever.
All snark aside, I'm fully aware that the SuperDraft is held with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and this choice might not have been MLS's to make. But it's still frustrating. Do you know when the SuperDraft was last held on the west coast? Me either because it has never happened.
In any case, the actual event will be held in Indianapolis on January 17th. Prior to that the MLS Player Combine will be held from January 11th-15th in the usual spot of southern Florida. Ft. Lauderdale to be specific. There players will try to make a name for themselves in an attempt to increase their odds of making one of the 19 teams' rosters in 2013.
We'll be covering the MLS SuperDraft and the combine as we get closer, in the mean time here is the full press release:
NEW YORK (December 6, 2012) – Major League Soccer today announced details for the 2013 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas and the 2013 adidas MLS Player Combine.
For the ninth consecutive year, the MLS SuperDraft will be held in conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention, and take place on Thursday, January 17, at the Indiana Convention Center, in Indianapolis, Ind. The SuperDraft will begin at 12 p.m. ET.
The 2013 MLS SuperDraft will include two rounds and 38 overall selections. The first nine selections are currently held by clubs that did not qualify for the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs, in reverse order of regular season finish. The remaining 10 positions currently belong to clubs that were eliminated in the same round of the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs, in reverse order of regular season finish.
A four-round Supplemental Draft will take place via conference call on Tuesday, January 22, 2013.
The 2013 adidas MLS Player Combine will again be held at Central Broward Regional Park in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., prior to the SuperDraft.
The invited players will be divided into four separate teams that are led by prominent collegiate coaches and select youth coaches. Matches will be played as doubleheaders on January 11, 13 and 15. Each match is closely monitored by technical staff from all 19 MLS clubs.
Tickets will be available to the public for $10 on the day of the games at the Central Broward Regional Park box office and include admission to both matches that day. A schedule of games is included below.
The list of participating players, as determined by a select panel of college coaches in conjunction with MLS coaches and technical staffs, will be announced at a later date.
Also the first round draft pick order: First round draft order:
- Toronto FC
- Chivas USA
- Portland Timbers
- New England Revolution
- Vancouver Whitecaps (via trade with Philadelphia Union)
- Colorado Rapids
- FC Dallas
- Montreal Impact
- Columbus Crew
- Vancouver Whitecaps
- Chicago Fire
- Real Salt Lake
- Houston Dynamo (via trade with Portland Timbers via trade with Red Bulls)
- Sporting Kansas City
- San Jose Earthquakes
- Seattle Sounders
- D.C. United
- Montreal Impact (via trade with Dynamo)
- LA Galaxy
These are, of course, subject to more trades throughout December and January.