Two Bruins, One Matador to Attend MLS Combine & No Zurawski for Galaxy
Bruins defenders Brandon Owens of Murietta and Mike Zaher, as well as Cal State Northridge U.S. Under-23 international Sean Franklin of Palmdale were named today to the initial list of 54 college players invited to attend the annual MLS Combine.
Other college players will be named later. The combine takes place Jan. 11-15 in Florida, just before the Jan. 18 MLS Superdraft.
Other players invited, according to the MLS press release, include:
"seven seniors who are semifinalists for the 2007 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy, NCAA soccer’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. Leading the way is the 2006 award winner Joseph Lapira (Notre Dame), and Andy Iro (UC Santa Barbara), Julius James (University of Connecticut), Stephen King (University of Maryland), Peter Lowry (Santa Clara), Julian Valentin (Wake Forest University) and Michael Videira (Duke University). The 2007 MAC Hermann Trophy finalists will be announced on Dec. 14, 2007 and the winner is announced on Jan. 11, 2008.
Also, Galaxy spokesman Patrick Donnelly confirmed today that reports linking Celtic striker Maciej Zurawski with LA are false.
Two lessons here: never believe the agent of a player (the source of the "story" in this case), who desperately wants to improve his situation. And don't believe an English tabloid desperate for a story (especially one that if memory serves claimed then England Coach Steve McClaren was trying to line up a job with the Galaxy).
About 100 Percent Soccer
Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005 for the Daily News, Daily Breeze and other Los Angeles area newspapers. The blog of the same name began in 2007. A native of England, he began writing about soccer in the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat in the stands for one in the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook and follow him on Twitter.
Leave a comment