Since national signing day was a week or so ago, I've gotten a few emails from people asking about where certain Juniors players were heading for college. Instead of directing people to 5 different places, I figured I'd post a list of players that have signed or at least have verbally committed. So with all apologies to Alex and his former Juniors update, here's some commitments for you.

Being a professional has less to do with getting paid, and more to do with the proper attitude and approach. The adjustment for young professionals making a jump to the next level from college normally starts with how quickly they can apply that approach, and adapt to those demands.
Craig Merz of MLSsoccer.

There is an excitement offered to watching a rough diamond polished, in tracking and follow their progress. When Seattle Sounders FC picked Tim Pontius, Jason Banton, Abdul Aman and Wes Feighner four more potential diamonds were picked. One of these may make the squad ala Mike Fucito and Josh Ford.

To the outside observer, the 2012 MLS SuperDraft seemed to be breaking almost perfectly for the Seattle Sounders. Despite holding the No. 15 pick in the first round, three Generation Adidas players were available to them when their turn finally came around.

Forward Dom Dwyer, who many seemed to think was high on the Sounders' list, was one of those players.

Nearly nine hours after being selected with the 10th pick in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft, and after doing who knows how many interviews, Ethan Finlay's voice was a little hoarse Thursday night.

But he was still excited to talk about his day and his future with the Columbus Crew.

By AVI CREDITOR

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Generation adidas tag typically translates into high MLS SuperDraft position, but for three of this year's nine signings, that did not turn out to be the case.

Not like it matters all that much. All three fell into pretty ideal club situations from individual perspectives.

Thursday marked yet another MLS Super Draft, but it was one with huge significance throughout Revs Nation: the players selected would be the first under new head coach Jay Heaps. Massive amounts of excitement were attributed to the fact that the Revs had their highest pick in almost a decade at #3, and with several holes to fill, this year's Super Draft was of utmost importance.

The Philadelphia Union select Greg Jordan with the 32nd overall pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft.

Jordan is a defensive type of midfielder, making him the fourth player on the Union that can play in a central defensive midfield role (Brian Carroll, Gabriel Gomez and Amobi Okugo, as well). He is a good passer of the ball and works hard throughout the midfield, a lot like Carroll.

With the #22 pick in the draft, New England selects Creighton defender, Tyler Polak!

By FRANCO PANIZO

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The 2012 MLS Combine has come to a close, but not before several players used the event to help their stock while others did not.

In a class dominated by attacking talent, several forwards and creative midfielders enjoyed strong combines, showcasing their goal-scoring and playmaking abilities.

The trio of Wisconsin players at the Major League Soccer Combine did their best Tuesday to leave good final impressions on the league's coaches and general managers before the SuperDraft.

Tony Walls (Wauwatosa East/UW-Green Bay) and Calum Mallace (Marquette) came off the bench and scored in an eight-minute span in the second half to help spark the adiPower team beat adiPure 4-1 in the last of six matches at the Combine in Lauderhill, Fla.

Skillful wingers in the player pool are at a premium ahead of Thursday's MLS SuperDraft, but three of the top players available at the position are some of the more sought-after attackers eligible for selection.

Sam Garza, a Generation adidas signing out of UCSB who can play up top or on the wing, helped his stock considerably with his showing while playing for the adiPure team at the Combine and had a big hand in helping set up Ethan Finlay as part of the Creighton forward's hat trick.

After missing the first day of matches at the Major League Soccer Combine, Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) more than made up for it Sunday.

The former Creighton forward logged a 17-minute hat trick in the first half as the adiPure team doubled up Prime 4-2 on the second day of games in Lauderhill, Fla.

The big names at the 2012 MLS Combine have for the most part lived up to expectations through two Combine match-days, but there have also been some lesser-known players who have also boosted their stock in Fort Lauderdale.

Three of the players to help boost their draft stock are Fordham goalkeeper Ryan Meara, Marquette midfielder Calum Mallace and Creighton forward Ethan Finlay.

There are only four days left until the 2012 MLS SuperDraft gets underway. It will be televised on ESPN 2 and 3 at 9a or Noon if you happen to be on the East Coast. The next few days will be crucial for draft hopefuls as it's a time when their stock can rise or take a trip to the garbage pit.

In a interesting turn the Guardian over in the UK, decided to let the supporter groups for all 19 MLS sides do the heavy lifting when it comes to this years SuperDraft.

By FRANCO PANIZO

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The second day of the MLS Combine was the first day for Ethan Finlay, who had arrived to the Sunshine State on Saturday. He had missed the first day of the event on Friday to attend the Hermann Trophy Award ceremony in St.

The MLS Combine resumes action today as MLS Draft prospects look to give scouts and coaches more to think about as we draw closer to the MLS Draft on Thursday.

Day One saw several players boost their stock, while some others struggled to make an impact. UCSB playmaker Luis Silva, UCLA striker Chandler Hoffman, Marquette midfielder Calum Mallace, Louisville's Austin Berry and Indiana's Tommy Meyer were just some of the players who enjoyed strong first days.

The MLS Combine starts this afternoon and the four teams have been released. Below is where everyone will be playing with this weekend.

adiZero

Coach: Barlow

Last First Pos. School/Note Meara Ryan GK Fordham Singh Shawn LB UCLA Rodriguez Charles CB Charlotte Bates Mykell RB Santa Calra Maund Aaron CB ND Walker Kenney DM Louisville Ubierna Benjamin DMF Youth International Creavalle Warren CM UCF Ibarra Miguel CM UC Irvine Martinez Enzo CM GA / UNC Cascio Tony FWD UCONN James Evan Mid/Fwd Charlotte Rolfe Colin FWD Louisville Ownby Brian FWD UVA Frimpong Evans FWD Delaware Bonfigli Emiliano MF Youth International Dwyer Dom FWD GA/USF adiPower

Coach: Cirovski

Last First Pos.

The MLS Generation adidas class will feature nine players after the league secured the signings of three players on Wednesday night.

South Florida striker Dom Dwyer, Creighton fullback Tyler Polak and UConn central defender Andrew Jean-Baptiste were all signed to Generation adidas contracts after being made offers on Tuesday.

Enzo Martinez has signed with MLS. (Photo via UNC Athletics)

The Generation adidas class for 2012 is nearly complete. UNC midfielder Enzo Martinez has signed his GA deal with the league but his former Tar Heel teammate Billy Schuler declined his offer from the league to go to Europe.

Reports out of Sweden say that Hammarby IF (yes, Greg Berhalter's new club) is close to signing the Tar Heel to a deal.

And then there were six.

North Carolina playmaker Enzo Martinez signed has signed a Generation adidas contract, becoming the sixth member of the 2012 Generation adidas class, but teammate Billy Schuler passed on the final MLS offer, and ultimately signed with Hammarby.

Schuler's decision to bolt for Europe has opened the door for MLS to expand the class, with the league extending Generation adidas offers to Creighton fullback Tyler Polak, South Florida striker Dom Dwyer and UConn centerback Andrew Jean-Baptiste.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't watch much college soccer, sorry. There's simply too much out there for me to consume to give a great deal of attention to a version of the sport where the clock runs the wrong direction and there are infinite substitutions. That said, I do try to watch the playoffs and Final Four every year to at least have some idea of the potential names that could be coming to MLS.

The MLS Draft is less than two weeks away, and the MLS Combine is now less than a week away, meaning it's getting close to time for clubs to start figuring out what needs they want to address and which players they plan to target when the draft kicks off in Kansas City.

There is still plenty we don't know about how the draft will shape up.

Stats for all division one NCAA schools that have had at least 10 players play a game in MLS. Ranked by average games played.
Players Avg GP Median GP Avg Goals 1 FIU CUSA 11 118.1 28 10.0 2 UCLA P12 57 101.5 75 8.9 3 Indiana B10 29 98.

Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) earned one of the most prestigious awards from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

The Creighton senior forward, a consensus All-American who was the leading scorer for the NCAA College Cup semifinalist Blue Jays, was named the NSCAA men's Collegiate Scholar Athlete of the Year.

The 2012 MLS SuperDraft just got a little better. Fox Soccer's Ives Galarcep is reporting that the league has secured deals with two of the top prospects in this year's draft in Akron striker Darren Mattocks and Duke midfielder/defender Andrew Wenger.

Mattocks was rumored to go to Europe over the last couple weeks.

The time is here. One of my favorite things to do each year as most of you know is talk about the SuperDraft and even do a couple mock drafts to get ready for it next month. Hard to believe but we are less than a month out of the draft in Kansas City.

This draft will be interesting, that much is already certain with top names like Darren Mattocks and Billy Schuler attacking attention from clubs overseas.

Creighton senior forward Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) collected another All-American honor, while Marquette midfielder Calum Mallace added his first.

Finlay was a first-team choice and Mallace made the second team of the College Soccer News team.

On Friday, Finlay was named to the top team of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America NCAA Division I men's All-America team and was announced as one of three finalists for the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy, awarded to the country's top player.

North Carolina withstood a late-charge from Charlotte to hold onto a 1-0 win and capture its second College Cup in school history on Sunday afternoon at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala.

Ben Speas scored the decider in the 65th minute while the Tar Heel defenders barely kept the 49ers off the board in the waning minutes as the first-seeded squad ended the Cinderella run of their in-state opponent.

Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) had an incredible college soccer career, one that rates among the best in history for a former Wisconsin prep player.

The Creighton senior forward was named to the first team of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division I All-America team, putting him in some pretty elite company.

The championship favorites take on the ultimate Cinderella story as No. 1 ranked North Carolina faces Charlotte in the NCAA Men's College Cup Final today in Hoover, Alabama (4pm, ESPNU).

The Tar Heels entered the tournament as favorites, and showed their quality in beating a tough UCLA side in penalties in the semifinal.

The Hermann Trophy finalists were announced Friday, and two of the three finalists are Reading United AC alumni: forwards Andrew Wenger of Duke and Billy Schuler of North Carolina. Both are juniors who grew up in Pennsylvania.

All told, six Reading United alumni were named All-American, with goalkeeper Brian Holt of Creighton and defender Matt Hedges of North Carolina joining Wenger and Schuler on the first team.

By JOHN BOSCHINI

The National Championship is headed back to North Carolina in one way or another.

It was a long yet dramatic night in Hoover, Alabama as both UNC and Charlotte booked their place in the final with the help of penalty kicks. Charlotte was never able to break down Creighton's record-breaking defense but were vastly superior in the penalty kick shootout that followed a dull 0-0 draw.

Top prospects and college teams are on display at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala., as the NCAA College Cup gets underway.

Creighton takes on surprising Charlotte (6 p.m., ESPNU/ESPN3.com) to kick off the Final Four. The Bluejays have been one of the top teams in the country all season, relying on the play of senior striker Ethan Finlay and sophomore left back Tyler Polak.

A preview of the final four is here. UCLA-North Carolina airs at 5:30 p.m. live on ESPNU; the Creighton-Charlotte semi is on at 3 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Duke athletics

The quest for college soccer's top individual award has been narrowed to three competitors.

Duke's Andrew Wenger, North Carolina's Billy Schuler and Creighton's Ethan Finlay were named finalists for the Hermann Trophy, emerging from a list of 15 semifinalists that was released earlier in the week.

Just a week after Stanford University captured the women's soccer title, four teams gather in Hoover, Ala., for the College Cup to decide the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Champion for 2011. Today, top-seeded University of North Carolina will meet the UCLA in one semifinal, while UNC-Charlotte will square off against Creighton in the other.

By JOHN BOSCHINI

By just about any measure, it has been a good year for the UNC-Charlotte 49ers.

The little-known school of the Atlantic-10 dispatched defending champions Akron and scored in the final five minutes against stingy UConn to steamroll their way into the College Cup.

The 2011 College Cup invades Hoover, Alabama this weekend. (Photo via UNC Athletics)

Four schools remain in this year's NCAA men's soccer tournament. The College Cup has three schools that most expected to be here and one that no one saw coming. The tournament's top two seeds remain in UNC and Creighton while pre-season favorite UCLA the 13th seed and unseeded UNC Charlotte hope to spoil the fun.

Three players with state ties are on the initial list of players invited to participate in next month's Major League Soccer Player Combine.

UW-Green Bay midfielder Tony Walls (Wauwatosa East), Marquette midfielder Calum Mallace and Creighton forward Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) are among the 52 college seniors selected to attend the combine, which is Jan.