Major League Soccer partners with CFU to host first-ever Caribbean Player Combine
cfufootball.org
Major League Soccer (MLS) today announced it will host its first-ever Caribbean player combine, January 2-5, 2014, in St. John’s, Antigua. The event, in partnership with the Caribbean Football Union (CFU), will feature elite-level players invited from around the Caribbean, ages 18-21, who will compete in front of League scouts for an opportunity to earn an invitation to the annual adidas MLS Player Combine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida later that month.
“We recognize that the CONCACAF area, and particularly the Caribbean, is rich with soccer talent, and this will be an opportunity for our scouts to evaluate and identify the region’s top players,” said MLS Executive Vice President Todd Durbin. “Caribbean players from islands like Jamaica, Haiti, Grenada and others have been key performers in MLS. This event will help recognize the next generation of MLS stars as we look to achieve our goal of being among the best leagues in the world by 2022.”
The four-day event will take place at the Antigua Recreation Grounds, and will include training session and games against local clubs.
“As CFU Member Associations turn their attention to Russia 2018, this is an exciting developmental opportunity for the opulent young talent in the Caribbean to assess their developmental level and the growth required to play at the highest level,” said CFU President Gordon Derrick. “This partnership with MLS is another way in which we at the CFU are seeking to bridge the gap that exists between talent availability and scouting opportunities that the Caribbean region has received from professional leagues.”
The annual Adidas MLS Player Combine gives professional soccer scouts the opportunity to see top players in action prior to the annual MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas. Participants have moved on to successful professional careers as well as participation in their national teams.
The Caribbean Player Combine is focusing on 18-21 year olds as part of the developmental objective that both MLS and the CFU share. In this respect, the most important factor is the quality of the experience for these young talented players as they seek to enter into the professional realm. The January 2014 event will create the enabling environment for them to do so.
Media interested in attending the Caribbean Player Combine should contact the CFU at media@cfufootball.org.
