University Park, Pa. — Penn State senior midfielder Matheus Braga (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) has received an invitation to participate in the 2011 adidas Major League Soccer Player Combine, scheduled for Jan. 8-11 at Central Broward Regional Park in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. He is of one 54 college seniors from 36 Division I schools to make the initial player list.
The coaching and management staffs of all 18 MLS teams will be in attendance to scout talent at the combine, which concludes two days before the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. The draft will be held on Thurs., Jan. 13 in Baltimore, Md. at the Baltimore Convention Center.
The 2011 adidas MLS Player Combine will separate all players into four teams and feature two games per day at Central Brower Regional Park on Jan. 8, 10, and 11.
The initial player list was determined by a panel of Division I college coaches, representing all conferences, who nominated and voted for players in conjunction with MLS coaches. These players will be joined by Generation adidas players, additional collegiate players from NCAA Division II and III schools, NAIA schools, and Division I alternates.
The final player list, combine coaches, and team assignments will be announced in the coming weeks.
In 2010, Braga teamed with Corey Hertzog (Reading, Pa.), the NCAA leader in goals scored, to provide Penn State with one of the nation’s most productive offensive tandems and fashion the most prolific season by a duo in the 100-year history of the Nittany Lion program. A unanimous First Team All-Big Ten honoree in both 2009 and 2010, he etched his name in both the Penn State and Big Ten record books this year, becoming the single season leader in assists, totaling an NCAA-best 17. In just three years in Happy Valley, Braga notched 28 assists, ranking him in a fourth-place tie with Neil Piper (1991-93) on the PSU career assists list. In 57 career games, the native Brazilian recorded 52 points (12 goals, 28 assists).
In honor of his standout senior year, Braga was recognized on the TopDrawerSoccer.com and Goal.com Third Team "Team of the Season." During the season, he was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week on Oct. 31 and was honored as Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 20. Braga was also selected to the Big Ten Tournament and Wolstein Classic All-Tournament Teams.
Other Nittany Lions who have taken part in past MLS player combines include forward Jason Yeisley (2005-07, 09), forward Simon Omekanda (2003-06), and midfielder Brian Devlin (2002-05). Yeisley, the 2009 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, was drafted in the third round of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas and appeared in five games in his rookie season