The three days at the combine were really enlightening, as to the quality of the draft class.  In these days I have seen the players who were in my top ten like Nakazawa, Akpan and Wiedeman fall dramatically, as well as the rise of players like Gavin, Stephens and Justin Morrow.  In the six matches we saw a mere eleven goals, five in the first match and a real lack of creativity in attack.  Players being heralded for there creative ability seemed rather pedestrian.

The one major plus this week was seeing a lot of smart possession soccer, a sign of the increasing quality of soccer in North America.  Very rarely did you see someone in a panic, and just kick the ball blindly into the air. The NCAA may not be the best system for grooming players to become professionals but the kids are getting better and the draft is deeper and deeper each year.

5 Up

Blair Gavin – Today Blair Gavin rose up into my top 5. He looked a class apart from the rest of the midfielders in the draft.  Tchani may have size and strength on his side, but Gavin is an extremely smart player who will be able to make the jump right away, and should have his eyes set on Europe in the next few years.  Once again, I am wowed by this kid; Gavin has been the best performer in this combine.

Kyle Nakazawa – Nakazawa had a much better day two then day one. He was a key part of the green attack on Saturday, as he was running at defenders and trying to help out a poor Jason Yiesley who was essentially a lone striker for the first half.  The UCLA product showed his class today and should be a top twenty pick come Thursday.

The first day of the combine is a bit of a crapshoot. You are getting players who have not played in competitive matches in over a month; so day one is full of rust and nerves.  Still though, it is a tryout and these games do matter.  In a rainy near with freezing conditions, a crowd of about 100 cold fans sat and watched college’s best play.  In the first game we saw the blue team dominate the white team in the first half, scoring three early goals. While the net was filled, none of these were really keeper Sean Johnson’s fault.  In the second half there were some changes in the white lineup and their back line started to play respectable, only conceding through a magical 30-yard bomb from Louisville star Othaniel Yanez.  The final score was 4-1, as the white team scored on a penalty converted by Drew Yates.  The second match was a scoreless affair, with only one real chance in the match.  That chance saw the play of the game though, as “Everyman” Brooks Haggarty made a major diving save on Gen Adidas product Jack McInerney.  Other notes from the day: It was cold, it was really cold.  Oh and the combine is at a Cricket Stadium, converted into a soccer stadium.

 Here is day one’s five up five down.

With only two weeks until the MLS Draft, the final four or five names for generation adidas are starting to leak out.  According to Soccer by Ives, the 2010 draft is going to include NCAA stars Corbin Bone, Ike Opara, Tony Tchani and Danny Mwagna. All four of these players have signed top level Generation Adidas contracts and will be a lock for the top 8 picks in the draft.  According to Ives, Mwagna has received the highest Generation Adidas contract of all-time topping last years first overall Steve Zakuani.  With the Congolese striker signing this contract, expect him to dump Opara off his thrown at the top and be the first pick in the draft.  Mwagna has his sites set on Europe, but with his last second change of mind it has thrown a wrench in the MLSDraft.net’s mock draft.

UPDATE - Tony Tchani, Danny Mwagna, Andrew Wiedeman, Amobi Okugo & U17 defender Zach Herold have all officially signed Generation Adidas deals.

Corbin Bone, Sean Johnson & Ike Opara are close to signing.  If this is all true then it could be the biggest Generation Adidas class of all time.