The initial list of invitees to next month’s Major League Soccer Player Combine has been announced, and eight players from New England-area Division 1 colleges and one with New England ties are involved.
As invited players to the Combine, they are eligible for selection in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, which takes place on Friday, Jan. 11 in Chicago. The Revolution hold five selections: the ninth and 11th overall selections in the first round, along with the 33rd (second round), 57th (third round), and 81st (fourth round).
The nine players are as follows:
Jakov Basic, M, UMass-Lowell/Zagreb, Croatia
Sam Brown, M, Harvard/Ann Arbor, Mich.
Simon Enstrom, F, Boston College/Huddinge, Sweden
Dylan Greenberg, D, UConn/Dix Hills, NY
Jacob Hauser-Ramsey, D, UConn/Seattle, Wash.
Abdou Mbacke Thiam, F, UConn/Dakar, Senegal
Colin Miller, GK, Providence/Bel Air, Maryland
Harry Swartz, F, Northeastern/Needham, Mass.
In addition, Logan Gdula, a Wake Forest defender from East Lyme, Conn. has received an invite.
The full list of invitees is here.
Some highlights of these nine:
- For the RiverHawks, Basic scored five goals and registered five assists, while he had three assists at UCF as a freshman. Was America East All-Conference all three years in Lowell.
- At Harvard, Brown was not a prolific goal-scorer (three goals, 12 assists) and only had 60 shots in four-plus seasons with the Crimson. In 62 matches, Brown started 61.
- At The Heights, Enstrom was rather prolific, potting 31 goals — second highest in BC history — and helping on 12 others. He was a regular starter for the Eagles. This fall, he was a multi-goal scorer on two occasions, against Quinnipiac and Clemson. He was All-ACC Second Team this year.
- Down in the Nutmeg State, the trio of Greenberg, Hauser-Ramsey, and Mbacke Thiam all saw plenty of minutes for the Huskies. Greenberg was a left back in UConn Navy Blue and White and was also a U14, U15, U16, U17, and U18 US national youth national team player; Hauser-Ramsey is a centerback and is part of the Sounders Academy; Mbacke Thiam was a regular goal-scorer, putting in a ridiculous 46 goals in four seasons, including a hat trick this season against Loyola Maryland on Sept. 15.
- At Providence, Miller was All-Big East Second Team this season, getting the start in all 19 matches for the Friars. He recorded a .720 save percentage and 1.06 goals against, posting nine clean sheets. He made 182 saves to go with 22 clean sheets in three-plus seasons in the Ocean State.
- Swartz, the Needham High Rocket, scored five goals and five assists for the Huntington Avenue Huskies, and he is the lone representative of the CAA.
- Gdula is an outside back for the Demon Deacons. He had seven assists this year.