2009 MLS Combine - Final Day/Last Chance

Today was the final chance for the players at the combine to make a lasting impression. For some players it was really hard to get comfortable with their teammates and at times it seemed like nothing was working for them. I didn't get a chance to see the first game today, but I watched the second game and once again was impressed by a number of players on the Adidas Tunit squad. These are my observations from the 2009 MLS combine.

Players that DID impress on Adidas Tunit were:

Stefan Frei - GK
Chris Pontius - F
AJ Delegarza - D
Peri Marosevic - F
Babajide Ogunbiyi - D

Players that played well on Adidas Tunit, but didn't stand out were:

Richard Jata - M
Josh Boateng - M
Rodney Wallace - D
Andrei Gostmanov - M
Kyle Patterson - M
Brandon Barklage - M
Trevor Banks - D/M
Pav Castenada - D/M
Kyle Russell - D

Players that DIDN'T impress on Adidas Tunit were:

Matt Poole - M
Daniel Revivo - F
Paul Gerstenberger - D

Overall, the combine was a great opportunity for some players to really increase their stock, but at the same time it hurt some players too. Only 60 of them will be selected come Thursday, which will make tomorrow one of the longest days' ever for many of them. Who will go first? Who will go in the first round? Who won't get picked at all?

Hopefully the coaches got to see what they wanted from all of the players, even though many of them never had the opportunity to showcase their full potential. I'm interested to see how things turn out.

I know Richard Jata has the ability to play at the next level, I just don't know where he's going to be heading. He'll definitely be one of the sixty players selected, but I can't pinpoint what round he'll go in. He definitely wont go in the first round because the Generation Adidas players don't affect a teams' salary cap, making them highly coveted and most likely first round selections. However, from the second round to the fourth round it's game on. Where will have the chance to play next year? Check out ESPN 2 on Thursday at 2pm to watch the first round of the 2009 MLS Superdraft. After the first hour of coverage ends, tune in to mlsnet.com to see who gets drafted in the remaining rounds.

Here are some pictures from the final day at the 2009 MLS Combine