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The Portland Timbers U-23s are well represented in the ranks of Major League Soccer, with first round pick Erik Hurtado and well regarded striker Mark Sherrod active in the league and a number of others on its periphery. This year the U-23s seem likely to add to that number with six players tied to the team invited to the 2015 MLS Superdraft Combine.
Representing the U-23s' 2014 squad are Fatai Alashe, Miguel Aguilar, Jose Ribas, and Will Seymore. From the U-23s' 2013 side are Saad Abdul-Salaam and Khiry Shelton.
One of Caleb Porter's final players coming out of Akron and potentially into MLS, Abdul-Salaam is a versatile player who can play across the back line or in the midfield. Since being moved into a fullback and winger role on hte right for Akron, Abdul-Salaam has been a regular contributor of assists for the Zips, picking up eleven in the last two years.
Alashe is a well regarded defensive midfielder out of Michigan State. Having been the bulwark in the midfield for a State side that has reached the NCAA Tournament quarter-finals in each of the last two years. Alashe scored two goals for the U-23s in just eleven games with the team from his holding midfield position.
A forward for the University of San Francisco, Aguilar is a big boy who seems more well-known for his hold up play than any sort of goal scoring prowess. With the U-23s, a side that tended to spread out the goalscoring responsibilities, Aguilar ended up with one goal and one assist in eight games, while with his college side in 2014 he notched four goals and three assists.
Ribas has played all across the backline for Creighton, but looks like a fullback at the MLS level. He is only listed at 5'9", but his intelligence on the pitch and passing ability out of the back have served Creighton well over the last four years, including in the 2013 season when he managed to lead the team with six assists from his position in the defense.
The longest serving of the Timbers U-23s alums, Seymore played with the U-23s in 2013 and 2014, slotting in as both a defender and a defensive midfielder in his two years with the team. A consistent player for the Oregon State Beavers, only Shelton started more games than Seymore this year.
For his part, Shelton put together his first full season without injury in some time and definitely made it pay off; scoring ten goals and notching twelve assists in 21 games at forward with the Beavers in 2014. For the 2013 U-23s, Shelton never had a chance to make an impact as he was forced to miss the short summer season due to injury. Another player getting some significant first round buzz, Shelton could go very high in this year's draft if teams ignore his record of injuries.
Would you take any of these players with the Timbers' No 5 pick?
The MLS press release:
55 College Seniors Invited to 2015 adidas MLS Player Combine
Invited players to showcase their talents in front of 20 MLS clubs in Fort Lauderdale, FL
NEW YORK (Thurs., Dec. 11, 2014) – Major League Soccer today announced the 55 NCAA DI college seniors invited to participate in the 2015 adidas MLS Player Combine. Top collegiate athletes from across the country will have the opportunity to showcase their talents in front of representatives from all 20 MLS clubs in Fort Lauderdale, FL from Jan. 8-13, 2015. All invited players will be eligible for selection in the 2015 SuperDraft presented by adidas that will take place on Thursday, Jan. 15 in Philadelphia, PA.
A committee of NCAA Division I coaches from every conference, as well as MLS coaches, selected the invitees, all of whom completed their college eligibility this season. Generation adidas signings, non-collegiate players, and additional college seniors will be announced in the coming weeks.
Among the top invitees looking to impress MLS clubs is midfielder Leo Stolz (UCLA), a 2014 Hermann Trophy semifinalist and 2013 finalist. The German native also earned a first team All-American selection and Pac-12 Player of the Year honors in 2013. Similarly, eyes will be set on goalkeeper Tyler Miller (Northwestern), who took home the 2014 Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year award and led the Big Ten in save percentage (85%) and goals against average (.56), while tying for second in shutouts (9). Also invited to the annual showcase is midfielder Nick Besler, younger brother to U.S. Men’s National Team and Sporting Kansas City defender Matt Besler. The Notre Dame product was named to the All-ACC first team in 2013, while leading the Fighting Irish to the 2013 NCAA Championship title.
Seven players participating in this weekend’s 2014 Men’s College Cup Final Four are among the Combine invitees – four players from UCLA (Earl Edwards Jr., Aaron Simmons, Leo Stolz, Andrew Tusaazemajja), one from Providence College (Fabio Machado), one from University of Virginia (Eric Bird) and one from UMBC (Oumar Ballo).
· Media interested in covering the 2015 adidas MLS Player Combine should contact Jane Sexton (Jane.Sexton@mlssoccer.com) to request a credential for the matches.
· Media interested in covering the 2015 SuperDraft presented by adidas should contact Sal Della Monica (Sal.DellaMonica@mlssoccer.com
) to request a credential for the event.
To download the SuperDraft logo, please CLICK HERE.
To download the Combine logo, please CLICK HERE.
To view the schedule of Combine matches, please CLICK HERE.
2015 adidas MLS Player Combine NCAA DI College Senior Participants
(Alphabetical by last name)
First Name
Last Name
School
Position
Hometown/Citizenship
BIO
Saad
Abdul-Salaam
University of Akron
DF
Gahanna, Ohio - USA
Miguel
Aguilar
University of San Francisco
FW
Sacramento, CA – Mexico
Fatai
Alashe
Michigan State
M/D
Northville, Mich. - USA
Tyler
Arnone
University of Michigan
DF
Hicksville, N.Y. - USA
Dominique
Badji
Boston University
FW
Dakar, Senegal - Senegal
Oumar
Ballo
UMBC
DF
Baltimore, Md. - Mali/ process USA
Laurie
Bell
UW-Milwaukee
D/M
Poynton, England - UK
Salvador
Bernal
UNLV
M/F
Las Vegas, Nev. - U.S. Resident
Nick
Besler
Notre Dame
MF
Overland Park, KS - USA
Adria
Beso Marco
UConn
MF
Lleida, Spain - Spain
Andrew
Bevin
West Virginia University
F/M
Napier, New Zealand - New Zealand
Eric
Bird
University of Virginia
MF
Virginia Beach, Va. - USA
Connor
Brandt
University of San Diego
MF
Temecula, CA - USA
Sergio
Campbell
UConn
DF
Clarendon, Jamaica - Jamaica
Seth
Casiple
California
MF
Rocklin, Calif. - USA
Wesley
Charpie
University of South Florida
DF
Tarpon Springs, Fla. - USA
Andy
Craven
University of North Carolina
FW
St. Simons Island, Ga. - USA
Otis
Earl
UC Riverside
DF
London, England - British/USA
Earl
Edwards, Jr.
UCLA
GK
San Diego, Calif. - USA
Marc
Fenelus
California State University Fullerton
FW
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos - Turks and Caicos
Oniel
Fisher
University of New Mexico
MF
Portmore, Jamaica - Jamaica
Tomas
Gomez
Georgetown
GK
Webster Groves, Mo. - USA
Connor
Hallisey
California
MF
Granite Bay, Calif. - USA
Cameron
Iwasa
UC Irvine
FW
Sacramento, Calif. - USA
Daniel
Keller
University of Louisville
DF
Carmel, Ind. - USA
Robert
Kristo
St. Louis University
FW
St. Louis, Mo. - USA/Croatia
Sagi
Lev-Ari
California State University Northridge
FW
Haifa, Israel - Israel
Rob
Lovejoy
University of North Carolina
F/M
Greensboro, N.C. - USA
Fabio
Machado
Providence College
MF
Santa Catarina, Brazil - USA
Ignacio
Maganto
Iona College
FW
Madrid, Spain - Spain
Anthony
Manning
St. Louis University
DF
Mesquite, Texas - USA
Ramon
Martin DelCampo
UC Davis
DF
Chula Vista, Calif. - USA
Shawn
McLaws
Coastal Carolina University
DF/MF
Edmond, Okla. - USA
Dan
Metzger
University of Maryland
MF
Holmdel, N.Y. - USA
Tyler
Miller
Northwestern
GK
Woodbury, N.J. - USA
Luke
Mishu
Notre Dame
DF
Knoxville, TN - USA
Adam
Montague
Michigan State
FW
Toledo, Ohio - USA
Craig
Nitti
Loyola Marymount
DF
Calabasas, Calif. - USA / Italy
Boyd
Okwuonu
University of North Carolina
DF
Edmond, Okla. - USA
Tim
Parker
St. John's University
DF
Hicksville, N.Y. - USA
Nikola
Paunic
University of South Florida
DF
Toronto, Ontario - Canada
Matt
Polster
SIU-Edwardsville
DF
Las Vegas, Nev. - USA
Jose
Ribas
Creighton University
D/M
Guayaquil, Ecuador - Ecuador
Sidney
Rivera
Old Dominion University
FW
Hampton, N.J. - USA
James
Rogers
University of New Mexico
FW
Sierra Leone - USA
Manolo
Sanchez
Clemson University
MF
Philadelphia, Pa. - USA
Will
Seymour
Oregon State
MF
Soham, England - USA/UK
Khiry
Shelton
Oregon State
FW
Leander, Texas - USA
Aaron
Simmons
UCLA
DF
Mansfield, Texas - USA
Leo
Stoltz
UCLA
MF
Munich, Germany - Germany
Andy
Thoma
University of Washington
MF/DF
Los Alamos, N.M. - USA
Skylar
Thomas
Syracuse University
DF
Pickering, Ontario - Canada
Andrew
Tusaazemajja
UCLA
MF
Panorama City, Calif. - USA
Christian
Volesky
SIU-Edwardsville
F/M
Henderson, Nev. - USA
Andrew
Wolverton
Penn State
GK
Atlanta, Ga. - USA