Jan. 3, 2007

Chicago, Ill.- UIC head men's soccer coach John Trask will travel to Fort Lauderdale, Florida this week to serve as a coach at the 2007 adidas Major League Soccer Player Combine.

The Combine, which takes place Jan. 5-8 at Lockhart Stadium, will feature at least 58 NCAA Division I senior student-athletes as well as players from the Division II, III and NAIA ranks and the Generation adidas program.

Trask will be one of four coaches, including Duke's John Rennie, Brown's Mike Noonan and George Mason's Greg Andrulis, to head up teams at the Combine. Players from the collegiate and Generation adidas pool will be divided up into the four teams.

"It's great to have an opportunity to work an event like this," said Trask. "It will be fun working with the level of players that will be there while seeing old friends.

"Having spent five years in MLS, it's always nice to get involved," Trask said. "It's a small community with many good friends."

Coaches and general managers from every MLS team will scout the combine for the 2007 MLS SuperDraft that takes place on Jan. 12 in Indianapolis.

Most of the Division I players were selected in November by a panel of Division I coaches representing all NCAA conferences. The college coaches nominated and voted for players in conjunction with MLS coaches.