The 2016 adidas MLS Player Combine begins today, with 60 college and international invitees gathering in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The players from around the world will compete for the attention of MLS technical staffs in hopes of being chosen as part of the 2016 SuperDraft, which takes place Jan. 14 in Baltimore.
As these invitees attempt to prove themselves and showcase their skills, Sporting KC’s Connor Hallisey and Saad Abdul-Salaam reflect on their own experience in last year’s Player Combine.
“I think, out of everything, I was most nervous about just staying in shape,” said Abdul-Salaam, who spent his time training at the University of Akron. “Right after the college season ends, you have the holidays and you spend a lot of time with family and friends, so it can be difficult.”
With more than 60 players in attendance, standing out is the key to success in the Player Combine. With the MLS technical staffs present — including head coaches, assistant coaches, technical directors and general managers — the Combine is essential for players to work their way up the draft boards.
“It’s important to capitalize on opportunity, because you may only get 45 minutes in a game,” Hallisey said. “I also think you have to know how to deal with unpredictability going into it. People say you will play half a game, but things can happen. In my case, a bunch of the guys on my team got injured so I ended up playing the full 90 minutes.”
Outside of the matches between the four teams, players participate in interviews and physical fitness tests, which include a 30-meter speed test, a vertical jump and 5-10-5 agility test. Abdul-Salaam said the number of interviews varied from player to player and could be formal or informal.
“Some of the interviews are laid back, and some are more serious. Some of the guys wore actual impressive clothes and some just wore T-shirts,” he said. “They ask you about your best and worst traits and things like that to get to know you. Some teams will even start with a riddle or something to try to throw you off and see if you can think on your feet. They really just want to get to know your personality as a player.”
With so little time at the Combine to prove yourself as a player, Hallisey said his biggest advice to future invitees would be to remain flexible.
“I think it’s important to play your game and don’t try to do too much,” he said. “I mean, you always think you can play better, but there are always going to be times people aren’t at their best, especially with a whole new group of people you’ve never played with before. I think most coaches are looking for flashes of what you can do, and I think most of the time they see those flashes.”
