Indiana University Athletics
Ambersley, Plotkin Invited to MLS Player Combine
12/1/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Dec. 1, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Seniors Brian Plotkin and Mike Ambersley were among 54 collegians invited to participate in the 2006 adidas Major League Soccer (MLS) Player Combine. The combine will be held for the third consecutive year at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., Jan. 12-15, 2006.
"Brian and Mike are both outstanding players with the ability to play at the next level," Indiana head men's soccer coach Mike Freitag said. "We will miss them. They were the type of players that embody IU Soccer. Hopefully, the combine can be a place for them to showcase their skills and earn a spot in the professional ranks."
The Hoosiers were one of 16 NCAA teams to have multiple players invited to the combine. The teams with multiple athletes in the combine include Akron, Cal, Connecticut, Duke, Indiana, Maryland, New Mexico, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Oral Roberts, Old Dominion, Penn State, SMU, St. John's, Tulsa and Virginia Commonwealth.
Plotkin was the 2005 Big Ten Player of the Year and one of 15 semifinalist for the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy. The Lisle, Ill., native finished the 2005 season with a Big Ten leading 26 points on eight goals and 10 assists. He was the lone player to be a unanimous first team All-Big Ten selection. He finished his Hoosier career ranked among the IU all-time top 25 in three categories; tied for ninth in assists with 34, seventh in career shots with 262 and 23rd in career points with 76.
Ambersley played in 87 games, making 82 starts during his Hoosier career. He finished with 16 points on five goals and six assists in 2005. The Ballwin, Mo., native was the 2001 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He finished his Hoosier career with 52 points 16 goals and 20 assists. He is a versatile player, who can play in both the midfield and up top at the forward position.
The list announced Wednesday (Nov. 30) is not final, as players from NCAA Divisions II and III, the NAIA, elite underclassmen and high school players who will be part of the next Generation adidas class have yet to be added. The league expects to announce those names in the near future; if past combines are any indication, approximately a dozen players will be tacked onto the initial list.
The coaching staffs and general managers of all 12 MLS teams will attend the combine to scout talent before making their SuperDraft selections at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia on Friday, Jan. 20. Of the 48 players chosen in last year's draft, 39 had participated in the combine the week before.
This list of combine participants was selected by a panel of Division I coaches representing all conferences. The college coaches nominated and voted for players in conjunction with MLS coaches. At the combine, the players will be separated into four teams and will play in doubleheaders Jan. 13-15 at The Home Depot Center.
Last season, Indiana had a trio of representatives at the combine in Danny O'Rourke, Generation adidas member Drew Moor and Jay Nolly. All three players were later drafted in the first two round of the MLS SuperDraft. O'Rourke, the 2004 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy winner, was taken fourth overall by the San Jose Earthquake. Moor followed as he was selected by FC Dallas with the sixth pick in the first round. Nolly, who was the second goalkeeper taken in the draft, rounded out the group in the second round (22nd overall) by expansion team Real Salt Lake.
GOALKEEPERS (4): Ray Burse (Ohio State); Eric Kronberg (California); Chris Dunsheath (Bradley); Andy Gruenbaum (Kentucky).
DEFENDERS (15): Kenny Bertz (Maryland); Chris Lancos (Maryland); Daniel Wasson (Tulsa); Kyle Veris (Ohio State); Tyson Wahl (California); Trevor McEachron (Old Dominion); Jeff Curtin (Georgetown); Cory Farabi (Drake); Justin Moore (Clemson); Anthony Noriega (George Mason); John Queeley (N.C. State); Danny Wynn (Saint Louis); Jordan Harvey (UCLA); Willis Forko (Connecticut); Stephen Shirley (VCU).
MIDFIELDERS (17): Josh Alcala (South Carolina); Brian Plotkin (INDIANA); Blake Camp (Duke); Danny Kramer (Duke); Jeff Carroll (St. John's); Mike Chabala (Washington); David Chun (SMU); Brian Devlin (Penn State); David Walters (Penn St.); Yohann Mauger (Akron); Dan Paladini (Cal State Northridge); Matt Wieland (Creighton); Lance Watson (New Mexico); Jorge Flor (Oral Roberts); Darren Spicer (Princeton); Mpho Moloi (Connecticut); Justin Moose (Wake Forest).
FORWARDS (18): Mike Ambersley (INDIANA); Jason Garey (Maryland); Kyle Brown (Tulsa); Calen Carr (California); Matt Groenwald (St. John's); Duke Hashimoto (SMU); Brian Civilikas (Old Dominion); Tony Donatelli (Temple); Ross McKenzie (Akron); Omar Jarun (Dayton); Jimmy Klatter (Eastern Illinois); Aaron King (N.C. State); Karim Dietz (Birmingham-Southern); Jeff Rowland (New Mexico); David Leung (Oral Roberts); Ryan Johnson (Oregon State); Kelechi Igwe (Santa Clara); Dominic Oduro (VCU).
