December 12 – The road to Major League Soccer (MLS) once primarily ran through the collegiate system in the form of a draft. Now clubs have deeper pockets, and look towards different pastures, however, the MLS College Showcase can still turn up a nugget or two.
From December 11-14 in San Diego, California, 44 college players have been invited to participate in the 2024 edition of the Adidas MLS College Showcase.
Each MLS club will have the opportunity to scout the top collegiate prospects in the nation ahead of MLS SuperDraft 2025, which will take place on Friday, December 20.
Over the course of four days, the technical staff of each MLS team will poke, prod, and evaluate prospective players.
In the 1990’s when MLS was just a fledgling league, players of the calibre of Cobi Jones (UCLA), Brian McBride (St. Louis Billikens), and Claudio Reyna (Virginia) were plucked from the collegiate ranks and fulfilled their desires of becoming top pros.
MLS Vice President of Player Relations and Player Development, Alecko Eskandarian, who trod that same route joining DC United from the University of Virginia said: “The Adidas College Showcase is an instrumental part of the evaluation process for top collegiate talent from across the country and we are excited to welcome our clubs to San Diego for this year’s event.”
“The college soccer landscape has a longstanding tradition of developing players who go on to have successful careers in MLS, with many first showcasing their talent at this event before making an impact in the league. We look forward to this year’s group of prospects making their mark on the 2024 College Showcase.”
This event will not be available to the public as it is held in a closed-door setting. It is officially sanctioned by the National College Athletic Association (NCAA) which has archaic rules surrounding collegiate players.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at moc.l1733989629labto1733989629ofdlr1733989629owedi1733989629sni@o1733989629fni1733989629