The University of Akron Athletics
Souders Earns Invitation to 2016 adidas MLS Player Combine
December 14 | Men's Soccer
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2016 ADIDAS MLS PLAYER COMBINE RELEASE
AKRON, Ohio - University of Akron men's soccer senior Andrew Souders (Amherst, Ohio) will represent the Zips' men's soccer team at the 2016 adidas Major League Soccer Player Combine as he was one of 59 Division I college seniors invited to participate in the MLS Player Combine, which will be held in front of representatives from all 20 MLS clubs from Jan. 7-12 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
All invited players will be eligible for selection in the 2016 SuperDraft presented by adidas that will take place on Thursday, Jan. 14 in Baltimore, Md.
A three-time first-team All-MAC performer, Souders started all 24 games for the Zips this season and helped anchor an Akron defensive unit that posted nine shutouts, including a 0-0 double-overtime draw with Stanford, who claimed the 2015 NCAA College Cup. He registered one assist on 11 shots from his defender's position.
A committee of NCAA Division I coaches from every conference, as well as MLS coaches, selected the invitees, all of whom completed their college eligibility this season. Generation adidas signings, non-collegiate players, and additional college seniors will be announced in the coming weeks.
A mix of collegiate soccer head coaches and MLS academy personnel will make up the Combine coaching staff: Columbia University head coach Kevin Anderson, George Mason University head coach Greg Andrulis, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee head coach Kris Kelderman and University of Akron head coach Jared Embick will serve as the head coaches for the four combine teams. The assistant coaches will be announced at a later date.
Developing players for the next level has become commonplace for the Akron staff as 26 Zips have gone on to play professionally either in Major League Soccer, USL or overseas since 2006, including No. 1 overall pick Steve Zakuani in 2009, and No. 2 overall picks Darlington Nagbe in 2011 and Darren Mattocks in 2012 - just to name a few. Nagbe was part of a draft class that set MLS draft day records for most players drafted from a single school in the first round (5) and overall (8).
