First 70 Set For USL Showcase
Published on January 20, 2010 under United Soccer League Championship (USL) News Release
TAMPA, FL - The first set of participants were announced for the upcoming 2010 USL Men's Showcase with 70 players committed for the event with an additional 20 to be announced in the coming weeks.
The fourth annual combine will be hosted by the Charleston Battery of the USL Second Division at the club's famous Blackbaud Stadium February 4-6.
Among the 70 players unveiled are 59 players with experience in the USL Premier Development League, 39 of which have played at least two seasons in the league. Leading the list of players are former PDL All-Conference selections Anthony Dibiase (Forest City London, 2009), Richard Martinez (Long Island Rough Riders, 2009) and Jake Stacy (West Michigan Edge 2006), who played for the Michigan Bucks the past two seasons.
The most recent USL Player Showcase, held in December of 2008, linked 25 of the 90 players who participated with professional clubs in North America. Players who signed with MLS or USL First Division clubs included: Jarius Holmes (Austin Aztex), Tom Heinemann (Charleston Battery), Steve Clark (Charleston Battery), Javier Ayala-Hill (Chivas USA), Anthony Peters (D.C. United), Nicolas Torres (Miami FC), Danny Vasquez (Miami FC), Erik DiLorenzo (Montreal Impact), Alec Dufty (New York Red Bulls), Wes Knight (Vancouver Whitecaps) and Kenold Versailles (Vancouver Whitecaps).
Another 14 players signed contracts in the USL Second Division with the Harrisburg City Islanders (6), Crystal Palace Baltimore (1), Pittsburgh Riverhounds (1), Real Maryland Monarchs (1) and Western Mass Pioneers (5).
In all, USL has helped to establish the professional playing careers of 109 players through the USL Player Combine since 2006.
"To have one-third of all the players who have ever attended the USL Player Combine catch on with a professional club legitimizes the event," said USL Director of PDL Operations, Lee Cohen. "When we started the USL Player Showcase in 2006, we knew there were talented players out there who deserved a shot to play professionally. Adding over a hundred players to the professional ranks in the past three seasons has undoubtedly raised the level of play in North America."
United Soccer League Championship Stories from January 20, 2010
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