The MLS announced its Combine for the 2013 MLS Draft - 54 players were selected including three Canadians: Kyle Bekker, Emery Welshman, and Kofi Opare. Bekker is attacking midfielder whose offence mostly comes from set plays, Emery Welshman is your typical athletic front man but struggled with only 3 goals during the 2012 season and Kofi Opare is an athletic defender who had a good college career on an average Michigan team.
There are a couple other Canadian seniors playing NCAA Soccer in 2012 who didn't get the call like Etienne Boulanger (UNC Wilmington) and Berian Gobeil (Stony Brook) but the reality is there is only a few Canadians playing NCAA Division 1 soccer so in terms of the combine, you have very small number to choose from.
Based on this and trying to to produce a fairer representation since Canadian clubs make up 17% of the league's teams I thought it's time for the MLS Combine committee to start inviting top CIS/CCAA (Canadian University & Colleges) based players. Here are five players who I believe deserve a chance of trying out at the upcoming combine.
FW Gagandeep Dosanjh
Although only completing his third year at UBC the 5'6 forward was statistically dominating during the 2012 CIS while playing for the the eventual champions, the University of British Columbia. Dosanjh scored 12 goals and had 9 assists for a team who outscored their opponents 43-7. The 22-year old has played with the Whitecaps U-23 side in the PDL and in 2012 he played 1300 minutes scoring 4 goals and 4 assists. These stats are better than most other combine invites. Dosanjh does look like a player who will be given an eventual tryout for an MLS club, most likely Vancouver, although the combine could of raised his profile and provided him a more lucrative MLS contract.
MF Samuel Georget
A 24-year old central midfielder with European pedigree has been Laval's leader the past five season scoring 17 goals and adding 16 assists. The CIS Player of the Year was also named an All-Canadian for the third time in 2012 and MVP of the Quebec Conference two years in a row. Also an Academic Award winner, Georget shows the intelligence and class that can be lacking in the MLS game.
DF Branko Majstorovic
A 6'1 central defender from Mississauga, Ontario, he played 50 career games and was the team captain of York University for the past two seasons. He won a CIS championship medal in 2010 and was selected as an All-Canadian in 2012. During the summer Majstorovic played for SC Toronto who finished 3rd in the CSL. Although reckless at times (2 career red cards in the Canadian Championship), Majstorovic is a dominating presence which is an essential part to raising your game at a higher level of competition.
FW Adrian Pena
The 6'0 forward at York University finished his college career with 57 goals in 77 games including 17 goals during the 2012 season. He won a CIS championship medal in 2010 where he was named MVP of the tournament and was also selected as an All-Canadian in 2012. During the summer Pena played along with Majstorovic for SC Toronto. Pena doesn't have the greatest speed but has shown to be technically gifted and knows what to do when given a scoring chance.
FW: Sahil Sandhu
The former Canada U17 striker scored 15 goals this past regular season for the Douglas Royals. Sandhu won the PACWEST Men's Soccer Player of the Year and is a two-time CCAA All-Canadian. Sandhu is only 5'9 but is known for his speed and has some of the raw talent that can excel within a Combine environment.
Aaron Nielsen has worked within the soccer/sports industry for over 15 years. His statistical analysis brings the beautiful game in a whole new light. The detailed player data and prospect lists he produces are used by many scouts, agents, and football insiders around the world.
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