The 2012 MLS Player Combine is in the books and TPOV was lucky enough to be there for all three days. We went into the Combine with little or no prior knowledge of the players participating. To us this was important because it allowed us to analyze players solely based on their performance. We believe this is the right way to do it, because if not what is the point of having the Combine. We feel that we did a good job in finding out who are the best players based on performance alone.
These are our top players:
FORWARDS:
Ethan Finlay
Attended Creighton University. Started 24 games in 2011. Scored 14 goals, and assisted 6. Ethan was 13th in the NCAA D-1 in goals. 2011 MAC Hermann Trophy finalist. In High School he set a school record with 98 goals and 59 assists. He may have missed the first day, but he sure showed up to play the second day of the Combine, scoring a hat-trick. He was the only true offensive threat we saw at the combine.
Darren Mattocks
Attended Akron University were he started 22 games and scored 21 goals in 2011. He was the 2011Mid-American Conference Player of the Year and also a Generation Adidas player. 2011 MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist. Very good skill on the ball. He used his skill and speed to cause problems for the defenders.
Evans Frimpong
Attend the University of Delaware (The Blue Hens). Started 20 games and scored 12 goals in 2011. Named to the All-American Second Team. 2011 MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist. Similar to Mattocks in regards to skill and speed. He showed great vision as well setting up shots on goal.
Casey Townsend
Attended the University of Maryland. Played 21 games in 2011, scoring 17 goals and assisting 2. 2011 MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist. He was our favorite striker after day one, and really showed how dangerous he was on offensive side of the field.
MIDFIELDERS:
Enzo Martinez
Attended UNC. Started 25 games scored 9 and assisted 11. Arguably the most skillful player at the Combine. He made everything he did look easy. Very good with the outside of his foot, which used to pass and shoot the ball. The only bad thing I can say about him is the missed penalty in the first game.
Kohei Yamada
Youth International from Japan. Played with Thespa Kusatsu (Second Division Japanese team) in 2011 and played in 16 games. Arguably the best midfielder at the combine, based on performance. He didn' t show up on our radar after Day 1, but was possibly the best player on the field for adiPure on Day 2 and 3. He is a quick and nimble player. Did a great job of opening up the defense with his skill. Also did a great job of directing everyone on what they should be doing in the final third. He is the best player no one is talking about.
Jason Banton
Youth International from England. Played Youth Football with Arsenal, Blackburn, and Liverpool from 2008-2011. Played at the Senior level with Burton Albion and Leicester City. Jason was the first player that impressed me at the combine. Very skilled player who scored the final goal of the combine. Did a great job of using his speed to beat the defense, especially on the flanks.
Yuri Gorentzvaig
Youth International from Brazil. Chosen from 6,000 participants to be one of 6 players in Nike's "A Chance" and play in a tournament in England. Has had a long carrer for only being 20 years old, playing with 7 teams in Brazil between 2001-2011. In my opinion he is the second most skilled midfielder after Enzo. Didn't do much, but just like Enzo, made what he did look easy. Played well Day 1 and 2. Not so much on Day 3.
Aldo Paniagua
Youth International from Paraguay. Played for Paraguay U-20 in the 2009 U-20 World Cup. Played in the Copa Libertadores with Nacional in 2009. He scored two goals in the Combine. One the player no one seems to talk about. Did a great job contributing to the attack in the final third.
DEFENDERS:
Aubrey Perry
Attended the University of South Florida. Played in 21 games in 2011, and had one assist. In 2011 he became USF's all-time leader in games played and games started. Held his side of the field all game, every game. Was not beat once. Good strength, and speed. Arguably the best defender in the Combine. Probably the best player you've never heard of as well.
Tommy Meyer
Attended the University of Indiana. Played 22 games in 2011, and had 7 assists. He was second in the Big Ten Conference in assists. He played on the USMNT U-17 team for the U-17 World Cup in 2007. Dominated the air, solid on the ground. Best Center back, in my opinion. He is very good on the ball. Had a few blocks in front of the net in Day 1. Would be a good replacement for Tim Ream at NYRB.
RJ Allen
Attended Monmouth University. Played 23 games in 2011, scoring 3 and assisting 4. Named to the All-Pac 10 Conference First Team. Does great job of winning the ball and pushing up on the attack. He was so involved in the attack that his fellow defensemen would have to yell for him to go back.
Other Notable Players:
Luis Silva
Attended the University of California Santa Barbara. Played 22 games in 2011, had 17 goals and 10 assists. One of our top players after Day 1, but seemed to slowly fall out of our top list as other player stepped up their game. One of the best at distributing the ball in the Combine.
Lucky Mkosana
Attended Dartmouth and was the Ivy League Player of the Year. Lucky may be the most talked about forward. Our thoughts on him are that he would be better off as a midfielder. He is a player who leaves it all on the field, and does a great job of winning and distributing the ball. We however didn't really see him as an attacking threat. Yes it is true that you can't judge someone solely based on how many goals he scored, but his job is to score goals and he missed a handful of chances. We felt there were other forwards that performed better than he did. Overall we were not impressed with him as forward, like we said he would be a great midfielder.
Warren Creavalle
He attended the University of Central Florida, and was named to the All-Conference USA First Team in 2010 and 2011. Warren is a player that played his best on the final day of the combine. He did a nice job using his strength to distribute the ball in the midfield.
