The Timbers scouting search for the upcoming season continues as general manager and head coach
Gavin Wilkinson
, along with assistant coach
Amos Magee
, heads across the country to attend the 2010 Major League Soccer Combine.
The 2010 MLS Combine will showcase approximately 75 of the nation’s top college players from around the country over a four-day period beginning Saturday. Wilkinson and Magee will join dozens of coaches and club representatives from both MLS and other clubs like, hoping to find their next prospect.
“The combine allows Amos and me the opportunity to evaluate some of the best players coming out of college,” said Wilkinson. “Events such as this are important pieces for us as we look to build the 2010 roster and consider players for 2011.”
Wilkinson and Magee will recognize a few faces at the MLS combine in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., including Timbers U-23s forward
Collen Warner
, who just finished his collegiate career at the University of Portland. Others include Stanford’s John More and UCLA’s Brian Perk, who both played against the Timbers U-23s last season as members of the Seattle Wolves.
Wilkinson’s annual trip to the MLS combine is one of a handful of scouting trips planned in advance of the Timbers’ 2010 season. In December, Wilkinson spent three days in Costa Rica visiting with teams while on his first scouting trip abroad this offseason. He’ll also attend the annual USL Player Showcase in February, hosted by the Charleston Battery in South Carolina.
At the end of the month, Wilkinson and Magee will have the opportunity to scout from home as the Timbers host their own annual combines, seeking players for both the first team and Timbers U-23s. Dozens of players from all parts of the United States and around the globe are set to participate in the Timbers’ open tryout or exclusive invite-only combine scheduled for back-to-back weekends on Jan. 23-24 and Jan. 30-31, respectively.
