Eds note: Predicting the results of the MLS SuperDraft is a fool's errand. If you need evidence for that claim (and with all due respect to Mel Kiper), see the 10 completely different mock drafts that have been released over the past few days. Instead of trying to predict the unpredictable, we just want to arm our readers with as much information as possible so that they can back up what they're seeing at the combine and know what they're getting from the players called to the podium on draft day. A.J. and Aaron both identify talent professionally using conventional scouting means, but they also have a deep appreciation for the contributions that analytics and stats can provide to give context and meaning to what their eyes tell them. We hope you'll use this guide when watching the combine next week and when these players are taken in the draft.

By A.J. Barnold (@ajbarnold) and Aaron Nielsen (@ENBSports)

This Saturday, the 2017 MLS Player Combine kicks off in Carson, CA, and leads into next Friday’s SuperDraft. To date, 66 players have been invited to showcase themselves to the league’s coaches, scouts, and front offices. This begins with physical testing on Saturday, followed by matches on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Matches will be live streamed on the MLS site.

Most of the combine invitees recently finished their NCAA careers, and are not tied to clubs via the Homegrown Player rule. If you’re an avid follower of the college game, many of these players will be familiar to you, and you may already have an idea of how they’ll fit into the league. If you’re less familiar with these prospects, it may be a bit more difficult to draw conclusions from three days of matches featuring players thrust into a situation where they don’t know their teammates and there’s no real tactical system. Frankly, that’s a really difficult task for the clubs and those of us who DO know the college game!

In either case, the more information and insight we can gather on players, the better chance we’ll have of identifying the talents that will be on MLS rosters in a few weeks’ time. The combine frequently allows lesser-known players to improve their draft stock, and the bigger stars to grow their list of potential suitors. To that end, we present profiles and data on the majority of combine invitees based on who we’ve seen in our work as it relates to NCAA soccer.

Contents:

- Brief profiles on ACC players plus any additional combine players who I (A.J. Barnold) have seen play live in the past two seasons

- ACC leaders for several of the statistical categories listed in the profiles, for context and comparison

- Additional combine profiles prepared by Aaron Nielsen of Prospect XI – mostly on players I have not covered; any overlapping players have Aaron’s notes under mine

Player statistics are used for ACC players only. They refer to the dataset of all games played by ACC teams in the 2016 season as recorded by InStat. This includes 180 games, missing four games that were not coded by InStat due to poor video quality.

Players are categorized by the position in which they played most frequently during the 2016 season (center back, outside back, center mid, outside mid, forward). Players who did not appear in at least 25% of their team’s matches are excluded from the rankings (leaving 214 total field players). GK data is not available.

Players are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

Brandon Aubrey – Notre Dame – CB

Very dangerous on set pieces – difficult to match in the air, strikes a very good free kick with pace/movement, solid penalty taker. Good on the ball, can pick out passes if given time. Looks to break lines with passes into the forward but sometimes quick to resort to a long ball. Moves plenty well for his size but may struggle with pacey forwards. Based on recent success of CBs in his mold, has the potential be a solid MLS CB.

Stats:

74.7% aerial challenge success - #5 overall in ACC, #3 CB, more challenges won per 90 than anyone above him

#1 CB in goals per 90 – drops to #2 for non-penalty goals and non-penalty goals + assists per 90 (scored 3 goals from penalties)

60.5% tackle success – 26th out of 32 CBs in ACC

Possibly due to only attempted 1.7 tackles per 90 – 28th out of 32 CBs

Jalen Brown – Xavier – LM

Non-ACC

Seemed to create the most chances of their front 4 (in a 4-2-3-1). Strong in the challenge, good on the ball, strikes it well, reasonably athletic – can be a handful.

Russell Cicerone – Buffalo – F

Non-ACC

Pacey, loves to dribble at defenders and shoot or slip runners. Physically strong. Strikes it well.

Stefan Cleveland – Louisville – GK

Decent shot stopper, though we never truly tested him in 2 games. Good distance on his kicks, helped move the ball into opponent’s end where Louisville preferred to play (direct/pressing style).

Suli Dainkeh – Maryland – LB/CB

Non-ACC

Played LB in 2015. As an OB was asked to get forward and provide service in Maryland’s system. Pretty similar player to Odoi-Atsem as an OB, but did not fly forward quite as frequently or aggressively.

Michael DeGraffenreidt – Louisville – CB

Similar to Nana-Sinkam – solid college CB but not sure how it will translate to the next level – outside back? May be considered undersized but makes up for it with athleticism. Louisville played fairly direct this year so he was not tasked with passing out of the back too much.

Stats:

5.4 interceptions per 90 - #31 of 32 CBs Likely due to Louisville’s pressing style – CB partner Kunkel is #32

64.1% aerial challenge success – #22 of 32 CBs

#28 CB in passes completed per 90 (27.5) but #16 passing % (82.8%)

Matej Dekovic – Charlotte – LB

Non-ACC

Looked to get forward frequently, although he played RB against us even though he is left-footed. Dangerous set piece service.

Jeremy Ebobisse – Duke – F

Did not play college in 2016 – ACC opponents surely did not miss him. Athletic, good in the air – several headed goals. Strong left foot, good finisher and has that capability to pull things off that others can’t. Decent coming back for the ball – frequently received passes from the backs either on the ball side or as the weak side forward pulling off the back line.

Aaron’s take: Athletically gifted forward who is also comfortable with the ball at his feet. Good size. Willing to play deeper and be part of the possession movement. Can get frustrated with lack of service. Was loaned out to Charleston in USL and looked comfortable playing against more experienced defenders.

Jacori Hayes – Wake Forest – CM

Fast and tricky on the ball – has a unique ability to eliminate defenders by turning and running with the ball from anywhere on the field. Quick change of direction and ability to create himself space for a shot. Likes to make runs over the top from the #10 position. Good vision to set up others as well. Combination of Hayes, Harkes, Dunwell was the best CM group in college soccer.

Stats:

4.4 successful dribbles per 90 - #4 overall, better % than top 3

3.2 fouls suffered per 90 - #2 overall (#1 in total suffered – 78, #2 had 51)

0.49 non-penalty goals + assists per 90 - #2 CM

#1 in ACC in total “extra attacking and key passes” attempted and completed (passes that eliminate 3+ defenders and/or lead to a shot)

#9 in official ACC shots per game standings (2.36)

Joseph Holland – Hofstra – CM

Non-ACC

Playmaker who can score as well. Strikes it well from distance and on set pieces. Covers a ton of ground and moves intelligently in a free role to create a huge portion of Hofstra’s attack.

Tucker Hume – North Carolina – F

Very dangerous on set pieces and good in the air. Good turning with his back to goal and does surprisingly well to create a shot in tight spaces for a guys his size. Scored 18 goals in 2 seasons at UNC.

Stats:

0.67 non-penalty goals + assists per 90 - #6 forward, #9 overall

47.1% aerial challenge success – seems low (#106 overall) but was #3 forward

Walker Hume – North Carolina – CB

Similarly to his brother, dangerous on set pieces – good in the air, finds good spots and hangs in the box until the chance is clearly gone. Right-footed playing on the left side in a 3-back system. Solid defender when it comes to size but may be vulnerable in 1v1 situations especially out in the channel.

Stats:

0.30 non-penalty goals + assists per 90 - #1 CB

0.13 assists per 90 also #1 CB – keeps the ball alive on a lot of set pieces

71.9% aerial challenge success - #11 overall in ACC, #8 CB

80.3% tackle success - #2 out of 32 CBs – goes against my feeling that he was vulnerable 1v1. Only attempts 3.0 tackles per 90 (#12 CB) compared to Colton Storm’s 4.7 per 90 (#2 CB) Possible explanations – Storm more aggressive? Teams going at Storm’s side more? Hume protecting himself by staying out of situations where he needs to tackle?





Daniel Johnson – Louisville – LM

Right-footed playing on the left side so he can cut inside. Loves to dribble – very technical and can break defenders down, but some may consider him to be one-dimensional.

Stats:

6.6 successful dribbles per 90 - #1 in ACC (by 1.0 dribble)

#3 dribble success rate among OMs (63.2%) – 3x as many attempted/completed as top 2

Middle of the pack in most other statistics

Aaron Jones – Clemson – RB

Stats:

69.9 passes attempted per 90 (#3 OB), 56.3 completed (#4 OB)

74.5% tackle success - #5 of 34 OB

Zeiko Lewis – Boston College – RM

Small but strong and very fast. Wants to run with the ball to create the attack. Left-footed, likes to shoot and serves dangerous set pieces.

Stats:

1.9 extra attacking and key passes completed per 90 - #4 overall, #2 OM

3.3 successful dribbles per 90 – 10th of 53 OMs 61.5% success rate – 5th among OMs



Jake McGuire – Tulsa – GK

Non-ACC

Quick off his line when he needed to be, made a couple impressive 1v1 saves. Probably could have done better with the free kick we scored on. Appeared to be pretty athletic for a good size GK.

Robert Moewes – Duke – GK

Decent shot stopper but sometimes plays too far off his line (see UVA’s game winner in 2016). Did not seem to be overly comfortable with crosses in traffic.

Brian Nana-Sinkam – Stanford – CB

Non-ACC

Overshadowed this year by Hilliard-Arce but solid college CB. Very aggressive stepping with forwards or to passes in front of him. Physically strong and good in the air. More of a destroyer/defender than a ball-playing CB – feet are not his strength.

Chris Nanco – Syracuse – F

InStat and many others categorize him as a forward, some may consider him more of an outside mid/winger… take into consideration when comparing stats.

Stats:

2.6 crosses attempted per 90, 0.9 successful – both #2 of 35 F

7.9 dribbles attempted per 90, 3.3 successful – both #4 of 35 F

0.35 non-penalty goals + assists per 90 – #22 of 35 F

#5 in official ACC shots per game standings (2.70)

Aaron’s take: Canadian, Sigma trained winger. Good speed and acceleration move with a willingness to shoot. Right-footed although can play either wing and can beat most NCAA full backs 1v1. Lacks size, also depends too much on his speed and needs to improve his overall play.

Chris Odoi-Atsem – Maryland – RB

Flies forward to provide service. Technical ability was a bit inconsistent so he relied on athleticism, but often dangerous on the overlap. His role seemed pretty straightforward – would like to see how he does when things get more complicated.

Evan Panken – Notre Dame – LM

Loves to come inside onto his right foot, and to allow the LB to get around – a key feature of ND’s system. Gets on the ball frequently, looks to dribble or slip runners. Great set piece service and very willing to shoot as well. Seemed to be more impactful in 2015. Underrated ability to read passing lanes defensively.

Stats:

#1 of 53 OM in passes attempted (68.1) & completed (53.0) per 90 #9 overall attempted, #18 overall completed 77.9% completion rate - #14 OM

2.2 fouls suffered per 90 - #3 OM, #9 overall

0.33 assists per 90 - #8 OM

5.4 interceptions per 90 - #3 OM

Jo Vetle Rimstad – Radford – CB

Played central in a 3-back system against us – perhaps the only time they played this all season. Stepped aggressively but intelligently to entry passes. Composed on the ball, capable on the dribble if he intercepted a pass running forward. Good in the air but not dominant. Biggest concern might be first step/pace, though he never got badly exposed.

Miles Robinson – Syracuse – CB

Played on the right in a 3-back system most of the season. Athletic and very good in the air.

Stats:

#1 CB in aerial challenges won per 90 (7.5), #6 overall

74.1% aerial challenge success - #4 CB, #6 overall

80.0% tackle success - #3 of 32 CB

Aaron’s take: Defender with high athletic upside. 6’2/185 with good speed as well. Has ball-playing ability to play full back as well. Strong header of the ball. Strong long throw. Needs to improve his general awareness of the game especially marking attackers 1v1.

Eddie Sanchez – Portland – RM/F

Non-ACC

Was often Portland’s most dangerous player. Likes to go at defenders and can go inside or out. Was not very concerned with tracking back to defend, but wasn’t really asked to.

Colton Storm – North Carolina – CB

Played on the right in UNC’s 3-back system. Spent some time the previous year at RWB so would more likely be an OB as a pro. Solid passer and defender with good athleticism.

Stats:

3.5 successful tackles per 90 - #1 of 32 CBs

70.1 passes attempted per 90 - #1 CB 55.1 completed (#6 CB)

1.5 crosses attempted per 90 - #1 CB by 0.9 Often pressed far forward behind Nico Melo and played balls into the box from distance



Brian Wright – Vermont – F

Non-ACC

Big strong target who also runs very well. Gets in behind and out into the channel – several assists on balls slotted across to the other forward (Bernard Yeboah). When playing as a lone striker, looks to either go on his own or hold the play up around the 18 while waiting for teammates to arrive. Good all around striker who may draw comparisons to Cyle Larin, though maybe less technical.

ACC Category Leaders

Scoring contribution and passing stats – applicable to all positions. Includes the top player at each position in the highlighted category, plus notable combine players.