University of Connecticut Athletics
Pecorelli Selected to Participate in MLS Combine
12/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
NEW YORK, NY (December 8) – Senior Lindon Pecorelli (LaCrescenta, CA) of the University of Connecticut men’s soccer team will gather for the 2004 adidas Major League Soccer (MLS) Combine where many of the top college and Project-40 prospects for the 2004 MLS SuperDraft will compete. The combine will take place from Sunday, January 11 through Tuesday, January 13 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
Pecorelli completed his senior season with Connecticut in 2003 as a valuable asset to the team’s midfield. In 2003, he tallied a career-high three goals and 11 points, while adding five assists. He played in 21 games, making 20 starts, averaging 87-minutes a game. Overall, in his four-year career, Pecorelli played in 85 games, missing only six career contests. He scored seven goals and 15 assists for 29 points in four-years. He was a three-time All-BIG EAST Team selection, all but in his freshman year.
The 54 college invitees (49 from Division I, two from Division II, two from Division III and one from the NAIA), who will later be joined by select Project-40 players, have been divided up into four separate squads for the three-day, round-robin tournament. As the title sponsor of the 2004 adidas Player Combine, adidas will outfit all four teams.
MLS general managers and members of all 10 coaching staffs will be in attendance to scout the talent level leading up to the 2004 MLS SuperDraft, which will be held on Friday, January 16 at the Charlotte Convention Center. For the second consecutive year the SuperDraft will be held in conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) Convention, one of the largest annual soccer gatherings in the United States.
The field of players was determined by a select panel of Division I college coaches in conjunction with MLS coaches and the consultation of select Division II, Division III and NAIA coaches. The names of the latest Project-40 signings, who are also expected to be part of the event, will be announced at a later date. Among the collegiate players scheduled to participate are five players from defending NCAA Champion UCLA, the No. 1 seed in the 2003 NCAA College Cup tournament which has reached the quarterfinal stage. Other NCAA College Cup Quarterfinalists will also be well represented with four players from the University of Maryland and three from St. Louis University.
The following is a team-by-team breakdown of the college players who have been selected for the 2004 adidas MLS Player Combine round-robin tournament. For the first time, collegiate coaches will assist in managing the squads during the course of the three-day competition. The names of the coaches and any player additions or alternate call-ups will be released at a later date.
adidas Aveiro
GOALKEEPER: Zack Wells (UCLA); DEFENDERS: Phil Hucles (College of William & Mary), Seth Stammler (University of Maryland), Leonard Griffin (UCLA); MIDFIELDERS: Adam Crew (Brown University), Garthfield Whyte (Lynn University), Lindon Pecorelli (University of Connecticut), Jay Alberts (Yale University), Luke Vercollone (Seton Hall University), Andy Dorman (Boston University); FORWARDS: Alan Gordon (Oregon State University), Kevin Ara (Harvard University), Simon Francis Bird (University of Louisville)
adidas F50
GOALKEEPER: Troy Perkins (University of Evansville); DEFENDERS: Jason Perry (Oakland University), Kevin Wickart (St. Louis University), Edwin Miranda (Cal State Northridge); MIDFIELDERS: Jack Cummings (University of South Carolina), Mario Alberto Gonzalez (University of Tulsa), John Pulido (Florida International University), Marin Pusek (University of Alabama Birmingham), Scott Buete (University of Maryland), Angelo Joaquin Herrera (University of Maryland); FORWARDS: Aaron Paye (Fairleigh Dickinson University), Joseph Ngwenya (Coastal Carolina University), Kirk Harwat (Akron University), Jamal Sutton (SW Missouri State)
adidas Predator Pulse
GOALKEEPER: Matt Pickens (SW Missouri State); DEFENDERS: David Wagenfuhr (Creighton University), Nick Gannon (St. Louis University), Chris Aloisi (Syracuse University); MIDFIELDERS: Victor Guerrero (Cal State University Dominguez Hills), Andrew Pusateri (St. Louis University), Kevin Hudson (Southern Methodist University), Sumed Ibrahim (University of Maryland), Eric Cronkrite (University of Portland), Tighe Dombrowski (University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee), Guillermo Memo Arzate (University of California Santa Barbara); FORWARDS: Attilo Vendegh (Old Dominion University), Jeremiah White (Wake Forest University), Malcom Cephas (Virginia Commonwealth University)
adidas Supernova
GOALKEEPER: Matthew Haefner (University of Pennsylvania); DEFENDERS: Steven Kehoe (Rio Grande University), Josh Smith (Trinity University), Tony McManus (University of Alabama Birmingham), Gary Sullivan (Adelphi University), Adrian Jonathan Cann (University of Louisville); MIDFIELDERS: Khari Stephenson (Williams College), Kenny Cutler (Clemson University), Ty Maurin (UCLA), Adolfo Gregorio (UCLA), Joshua Gros (Rutgers University); FORWARDS: Matt Taylor (UCLA), Justin Detter (University of Notre Dame)
