They have unfamiliar faces and come from diverse backgrounds.
Yet, the common goal for all 66 soccer players at the Home Depot
Center this week is simple ““ make a solid impression and reap
the benefits of a sizeable contract with a Major League Soccer
team.
For the past three days, graduating seniors, high school
phenoms, international talents and developmental players have all
slid, tackled, and dove their hearts out in the 2005 Adidas MLS
Player Combine. That group includes two Bruin players, senior
midfielder Mike Enfield and senior defender Aaron Lopez.
With the focus on the MLS SuperDraft on Jan. 14, Enfield and
Lopez have been able to stay somewhat at ease. That’s because
both were chosen by UCLA coach Jorge Salcedo as members of Adidas
Premio, one of four teams that have been competing since Sunday in
Carson, Calif. Salcedo was called up to the combine along with
three other head coaches to manage a host of players that will be
evaluated in a game-type atmosphere throughout the week leading up
to Friday.
For the most part, getting to be on the same team and being
coached by Salcedo was a welcoming feeling for Enfield and Lopez.
However, both players have insisted that there has been no special
treatment given to them by Salcedo.
“It’s nice to hear familiar voices and see familiar
faces,” Enfield said. “It’s great to play with
Aaron and we play well together.
“For the most part Jorge is treating everyone the same,
but I can see it in his eyes that he wants me to do well.
He’s helped me as much as he can. He just tells me to play my
game like he knows I can. I’m excited, and I can’t
believe it’s all coming together so quickly.”
The recent downpour in California certainly didn’t make
the conditions any easier on the players getting evaluated. But
even with slick and wretched conditions, the Bruins have continued
to perform on the field. Enfield has registered a game-winning goal
and has had two assists while Lopez has played consistently as a
defender and defensive midfielder to lead Premio to a 3-1 record.
Knowing that whatever is happening this week will determine his
future has weighed on every player’s mind.
“At first (I felt the pressure),” Lopez said.
“There were a lot of players, and you know what to expect
from a lot of them ““ great things. I bet everyone is nervous
because you want to play your best. It’s really competitive,
but that’s what we look forward to every game ““ to be
competitive and show what we can do. It’s pretty
fun.”
Aside from coaching Enfield and Lopez during the combine,
Salcedo has maintained a fatherly hand in providing blessings and
moral words of encouragement to his former players.
“Without a doubt, I look after them,” Salcedo said.
“I look over them more than the rest of the team just because
of the history we have. I’ve grown to like them and
appreciate what they do as individuals and as soccer players for
UCLA.”
“It’s tough for them to shine, but Mike and Aaron
have done really well. (Enfield) is one of the most dangerous, if
not most effective, scorers in the combine. Aaron’s been very
consistent and solid. He’s shown he can make it difficult for
other players to score.”
Also in the draft are 12 non-college seniors. The field of
developmental players, which was formerly known as Project 40
players, identified the top 40 Under-20 players in the country,
which includes former UCLA forward Chad Barrett. Despite receiving
advice from Salcedo to remain at UCLA, Barrett felt entering the
draft was what he had to do, according to two of his former
teammates.
Barrett, along with four other developmental players, will not
be participating in the combine due to his training with the U.S
Under-20 team. However, they are not placed at a disadvantage as
the National Team is also practicing at the Home Depot Center.
If signed, Barrett could earn a maximum of $31,500, $24,000 of
which is non-guaranteed salary according to the official MLS Web
site.
All that remains in all the players’ minds is exactly
where they will fall on the day of the SuperDraft. As for Salcedo,
he’s made his early guesses where these Bruins might
land.
“I’m sure Mikey will go in the first round, top-12
pick, and Aaron will fall somewhere between first and
second,” Salcedo said. “But there’s a different
dynamic with Chad, and I’m not sure where he’ll go. He
represents the MLS teams in a different fashion as one of the
Project 40 players. You can’t compare Chad with Mikey and
Aaron. It’ll depend on the dynamic and needs of the MLS team
that selects him.”
Barrett, like the rest of the players, will have to play this
one out.