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The MLS Combine’s greatest significance these days would seem to be the opportunity it affords teams to meet directly with potential SuperDraft selections to determine whether a particular player’s personality and ambition will be a fit for a particular squad.
The actual value of the soccer played by some hastily thrown together teams - with some players inevitably out of position, a few shoehorned into a tactical plan that might not suit their strengths, and all intent on striking a balance between impressing a scout or two but not exerting themselves to the point where they risk an injury wrecking their SuperDraft chances - is debatable.
Still, it’s free soccer and MLS is streaming the games on every channel it can think of - which is YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. We are promised David Gass and Bobby Warshaw will provide commentary, and there’s at least a chance that a few of the players on show will make a name for themselves in MLS in the years to come.
The Combine invitees have been divided into four squads, all named after adidas cleats because a team must have a name and adidas is the title sponsor of the Combine.
Teams Copa and Nemeziz will play each other in the opening scrimmage of matchday 1; teams Predator and X will close out the day’s proceedings. Then winners and losers will pair off for the second set of games on Wednesday, January 9.