Day one of the 2017 adidas MLS Player Combine got underway at the StubHub Center in Carson, California on Sunday. This was the first time the players were showcased in competitive game action. The players were split into four teams and will each play three games over the duration of the combine.
Game 1 - Team Chaos vs. Team Control
The first game of the day featured some impressive talent with projected 4th overall pick midfielder Jackson Yueill suiting up for Team Control and projected 6th overall pick defender Brandon Aubrey leading Team Chaos.
Team Control took control from the very first whistle. Early on, midfielder Daniel Johnson was able to draw a penalty after a poor tackle from Chaos Defender Robby Sagel. Boston College’s Zeiko Lewis would step up and finish from the spot.
Johnson would again be involved in the second Team Control goal as he made a composed pass across the face of goal to Guillermo Delgado who easily slotted it into the empty net.
Just before the end of the first half, Johnson would again be involved in a Team Control goal as he made a nice pass to Yueill at the top of the box who composedly finished off the post to give Control the 3-0 lead. Johnson, who spent time in the West Ham United youth academy, is not currently projected to be a first-round pick.
An interesting player to watch for Canadian soccer fans is Shamit Shome of Team Chaos. Earlier this month, the native of Edmonton became the first Canadian to sign a Generation adidas contract under the program's expansion to Canada. Shome, made 26 appearances for FC Edmonton in the NASL this season and is expected to be a top ten pick in Friday’s SuperDraft.
Team Chaos also featured Canadian Chris Nanco from Brampton and Syracuse University. However, Chaos’ most impressive player was Jorge Gomez-Sanchez who was able to slot home the team’s only goal late in the second half.
Game 2 - Team Copa vs. Team Tango
The second game of the day featured some impressive talent; despite projected first overall pick forward Jeremy Ebobisse (Team Copa) missing the game due to his call up with the U-20 US national team. Team Tango featured the projected third overall pick forward Abu Danladi.
The first half of the game belonged to Team Tango’s forward David Goldsmith. The native of Bristol England was able to record a brace in the first half, including a goal from the PK spot.
In the second half, Generation adidas forward Jonathan Lewis would win a penalty after some great footwork in the Team Copa box. The Akron Zip would step up and finish his own penalty to make it 3-0 for Team Tango. With just a few minutes remaining, Lewis would find the back of the net again, after the forward was able to clean up a rebound in front of goal.
Overall, Abu Danladi proved why he was a top prospect in this years draft class, as the native of Ghana dominated at times for Team Tango.
A bright spot for Team Copa was the play of young Canadain Adonijah Reid. Reid is the youngest participant at the combine at just 17. The native of Brampton was impressive for Copa in the losing effort.
The MLS Combine will now take a break from game action as the player’s head into interviews with individual teams starting on Monday. The games will return on Tuesday, January 10th at 4:15 pm when Team Chaos takes on Team Copa and Team Control battles Team Tango at 6:00 pm. You can stay up to date with all of the news from the Combine here.
