Monday, January 7, 2008
D.C. United Player Combine Report
It was a bright, sunny, warm afternoon today. A great day to play some outdoor footy. But who knew? The annual pre-draft player combine hosted by D.C. United for a select group of about 37 players was planned to far in advance to have known the weather would be perfect.
Instead, 37 young hopefuls gathered in suburban D.C. at an indoor soccer facility to show their stuff. Some came from far away (California and Minnesota), but most were locals. Their opportunity? To be drafted by D.C. United in two weeks at the MLS Super Draft in Baltimore, MD. Or at least get invited to training camp in a few weeks. Each year the team tries very hard to draft at least one player from their combine.
Two years ago, none other than Devon McTavish solidified his place in United's plans at this same event. The comments from the coaches today as to what stood out about him? One word - S-I-M-P-L-E.
To paraphrase since none of this is on the record - Devon was the obvious class in 2006 because even in the tight, high-pace environment of 20x40 yard indoor field, every one of his touches and every decision was simple - in a very good way.
Other players that have at least used this combine as a stepping stone to the team roster: Kiki Willis, Guy-Roland Kpene, Shawn Crowe, and Mira Mupier. Most players are already on a first name basis with the coaching staff. The combine is just a chance to see them compete close up.
It was obvious watching today that very few players are close to that level, but that is expected. Devon was a gem in the rough, and was a starting player for United less than half way into his second season as a pro. But were there players that might have a shot? Maybe.
After leading the players through a warm-up, they were split into three teams with seven players and two teams with eight. Each team had a Goalkeeper (a position United needs to backfill for sure with only one Keeper on the roster as of today). The five teams spent the next 90 minutes playing four games, always with one team resting. The boards were out of bounds, and the subs were on the fly. Coaches and team executives surrounded the fields with clipboards in hand. No coaching was done, they were just there to observe and keep time. It was totally up to the players to solve their problems, organize, call fouls, and impress.
The first five minutes of the first games saw every player at almost a full sprint, and heard almost every player chirping directions and information. It was too fast and too loud, but served a good purpose of getting the nerves out of the way.
In all, the first two rounds of games were the most spirited and at the highest pace. It also quickly became obvious which handful of players didn't belong, as well as which handful had the supple touch and comfort on the ball in a fast-paced environment.
As time went on, the players lacking good team defending skills, fitness, and vocal leadership became more evident, while some of the cream started to rise to the top. In all however, there was some major things missing in my opinion - Defensive aggression and flair.
Aggression first - or lack there of. Despite no artificial limits having been placed on the players, there were very few strong tackles. Some brain scientists didn't even wear shin guards! The fast pace made the opportunity for tackles much lower I guess, but I still expected to see more fire and fight from guys who might only ever have this one shot at impressing an MLS coach.
As for flair, Jennifer Aniston had more in Office Space, with the exception of a very small handful. Several players displayed strong ball handling skills in slaloming defenders, but few really used creativity to take people on. Maybe they were told that simplicity was the order of the day, but it is possible to be simple, and creative isn't it?
This is day one however, and tomorrow is indeed another opportunity - that is unless your name is already crossed off - which some no doubt have been. Everyone will have had 22 hours to reflect and self-evaluate. If they asked me, I'd say they need to do three things better. Defend, Create, and Simplify. But that shouldn't be much news to anyone.
So that's my review. But who cares what I think? The big question is how and who the coaches choose? Simple again enters the conversation.
Paraphrasing again - If someone does something bad, it's mentally noted. If they do the same thing bad again, it's jotted down, and if they do the same thing bad three time, their name is crossed off the list. On the other end, if they do something good a few times while avoiding the cross-off, their name is circled. Then the coaches convene to compare notes, and a list of potential draft candidates is produced.
What happens from there is anyone's guess. With any luck, another Devon McTavish will materialize, under the radar of other MLS teams, and the entire combine will be deemed a success.
I may attend again tomorrow. We'll see how things go with the newsletter production.
A few side notes of interest. On the way out, one player was walking back to his hotel to loosen his legs and get a proper cool down, which I discovered when offering a lift. That's pretty smart. Now for the dumb... Another player went to a Chick-fil-a for lunch, which I discovered when doing the same. Not a good decision for an athlete in the middle of one of the most important 26 hours of his soccer career to date. Also, I have names and other stuff of interest, but obviously cannot disclose them here due to sensitivity of the information. It will be interesting to compare those notes after the draft however...
If I've missed something you're interested in, comment below and I'll try and answer.
Instead, 37 young hopefuls gathered in suburban D.C. at an indoor soccer facility to show their stuff. Some came from far away (California and Minnesota), but most were locals. Their opportunity? To be drafted by D.C. United in two weeks at the MLS Super Draft in Baltimore, MD. Or at least get invited to training camp in a few weeks. Each year the team tries very hard to draft at least one player from their combine.
Two years ago, none other than Devon McTavish solidified his place in United's plans at this same event. The comments from the coaches today as to what stood out about him? One word - S-I-M-P-L-E.
To paraphrase since none of this is on the record - Devon was the obvious class in 2006 because even in the tight, high-pace environment of 20x40 yard indoor field, every one of his touches and every decision was simple - in a very good way.
Other players that have at least used this combine as a stepping stone to the team roster: Kiki Willis, Guy-Roland Kpene, Shawn Crowe, and Mira Mupier. Most players are already on a first name basis with the coaching staff. The combine is just a chance to see them compete close up.
It was obvious watching today that very few players are close to that level, but that is expected. Devon was a gem in the rough, and was a starting player for United less than half way into his second season as a pro. But were there players that might have a shot? Maybe.
After leading the players through a warm-up, they were split into three teams with seven players and two teams with eight. Each team had a Goalkeeper (a position United needs to backfill for sure with only one Keeper on the roster as of today). The five teams spent the next 90 minutes playing four games, always with one team resting. The boards were out of bounds, and the subs were on the fly. Coaches and team executives surrounded the fields with clipboards in hand. No coaching was done, they were just there to observe and keep time. It was totally up to the players to solve their problems, organize, call fouls, and impress.
The first five minutes of the first games saw every player at almost a full sprint, and heard almost every player chirping directions and information. It was too fast and too loud, but served a good purpose of getting the nerves out of the way.
In all, the first two rounds of games were the most spirited and at the highest pace. It also quickly became obvious which handful of players didn't belong, as well as which handful had the supple touch and comfort on the ball in a fast-paced environment.
As time went on, the players lacking good team defending skills, fitness, and vocal leadership became more evident, while some of the cream started to rise to the top. In all however, there was some major things missing in my opinion - Defensive aggression and flair.
Aggression first - or lack there of. Despite no artificial limits having been placed on the players, there were very few strong tackles. Some brain scientists didn't even wear shin guards! The fast pace made the opportunity for tackles much lower I guess, but I still expected to see more fire and fight from guys who might only ever have this one shot at impressing an MLS coach.
As for flair, Jennifer Aniston had more in Office Space, with the exception of a very small handful. Several players displayed strong ball handling skills in slaloming defenders, but few really used creativity to take people on. Maybe they were told that simplicity was the order of the day, but it is possible to be simple, and creative isn't it?
This is day one however, and tomorrow is indeed another opportunity - that is unless your name is already crossed off - which some no doubt have been. Everyone will have had 22 hours to reflect and self-evaluate. If they asked me, I'd say they need to do three things better. Defend, Create, and Simplify. But that shouldn't be much news to anyone.
So that's my review. But who cares what I think? The big question is how and who the coaches choose? Simple again enters the conversation.
Paraphrasing again - If someone does something bad, it's mentally noted. If they do the same thing bad again, it's jotted down, and if they do the same thing bad three time, their name is crossed off the list. On the other end, if they do something good a few times while avoiding the cross-off, their name is circled. Then the coaches convene to compare notes, and a list of potential draft candidates is produced.
What happens from there is anyone's guess. With any luck, another Devon McTavish will materialize, under the radar of other MLS teams, and the entire combine will be deemed a success.
I may attend again tomorrow. We'll see how things go with the newsletter production.
A few side notes of interest. On the way out, one player was walking back to his hotel to loosen his legs and get a proper cool down, which I discovered when offering a lift. That's pretty smart. Now for the dumb... Another player went to a Chick-fil-a for lunch, which I discovered when doing the same. Not a good decision for an athlete in the middle of one of the most important 26 hours of his soccer career to date. Also, I have names and other stuff of interest, but obviously cannot disclose them here due to sensitivity of the information. It will be interesting to compare those notes after the draft however...
If I've missed something you're interested in, comment below and I'll try and answer.
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