ORLANDO, Fla. – The up-close-and-personal nature of the MLS Combine might be primarily aimed as a final evaluation chance for Major League Soccer’s clubs ahead of next week’s MLS SuperDraft, but for the numerous USL coaches that also attend the event each year there’s great value in the event as well.

After all, if you’re going to find the next Chris Wehan – who last November was named USL Rookie of the Year for Reno 1868 FC – there’s a good chance he might be here.

Wehan, of course, was part of this same event a year ago, but after going undrafted earned a place on 1868 FC’s inaugural roster after an invitation was extended to the club’s preseason camp. With more and more college players now making their start in the USL, getting a good look for potential diamonds is imperative for all USL coaches.

But what exactly is it those coaches are looking for? Well, it depends who you ask.

Although most coaches agree that a lot of traits they’re looking for are position-specific, there are some things that apply to all the potential additions they’re watching this week.

“The main thing is their physical stature,” said Charleston Battery Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser. “Sometimes you hear about them, or you watch them on TV, and you don’t know. Now you can compare them, seeing them up close and in person what his body shape is like, and that’s important. Then there’s speed and things that you can’t always hear about or see until they do something like that, so that’s important.”

“Technically you’re here to see how comfortable they are on the ball,” added FC Cincinnati Head Coach Alan Koch. “It’s a huge part of the modern game, and obviously every team has different systems in terms of how they’d like to play, but we want to see how comfortable guys are on the ball with both feet in this type of environment.”