NEW YORK - University of Dayton's Isaac Kissi was selected as one of 39 midfielders/forwards to participate in the 2010 adidas Major League Soccer Player Combine.
"It's always been a dream of mine to play soccer at the professional level," said Kissi. "I owe this to a lot of people -- my teammates, my coaches, my family and so many more at the University of Dayton. My dream has come true."
Thursday the MLS announced the initial list of 62 college seniors from 44 Division I schools who have been invited to participate. The annual player combine will be held at Central Broward Regional Park in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Jan. 8-12, 2010.
"Our staff is extremely proud of Isaac's tremendous accomplishment of being named to the MLS Combine. He has come a long way since his first year when he was battling injury and homesickness," said UD Head Coach Dennis Currier."This season he put everything together and became our most valuable player."
"Isaac is a very explosive player with dynamic qualities that made him dominant both in the midfield and as a forward," added Currier. "He was very exciting to watch this year and played a major role in the success of our program the past two seasons."
If drafted or signed, Kissi would be the sixth Flyer to make it in the MLS, soccer's highest professional level in North America. Former UD standout Chris Rolfe was taken in the 2005 SuperDraft by the Chicago Fire. He has since moved up and signed a three-year deal with Aalborg in the Danish Superliga.
Kissi had a breakout senior year and dominated opposing defenses. He was named First Team All-Atlantic 10 and was selected to the 2009 TopDrawerSoccer.com Men's College Soccer Team of the Season. Despite missing four games with a dislocated shoulder, he led the Flyers with 45 shots, 19 shots on goal (tied for lead), and 22 points.
He also scored a team-high nine goals for the Flyers who were ranked 14th in the nation in scoring offense with 1.95 goals per game. He led UD to the Atlantic 10 regular season title and a 14-5-1 record - the 14 wins tied for second all-time at Dayton. The .725 winning percentage this season is the 19th best in the nation.
Kissi was ranked 27th in the country in points per game (1.38) and 29th in goals per game (.56). He was named A-10 Co-Player of the Week after notching his first collegiate hat trick in Dayton's 4-0 win over Rhode Island in its Atlantic 10 Conference opener. In addition to the A-10 accolades, Kissi was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Men's College Team of the Week for Oct. 11.
"From the beginning I had to adjust to a new style of game and new coaches. I didn't have the best first season here, but the players and coaches did not give up on me," said Kissi. "My final year I was more confident and had better decision-making skills."
The coaching and management staffs of all 16 MLS teams will be in attendance to scout talent at the 2010 adidas MLS Player Combine, which concludes two days before the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.
The 2009 MLS SuperDraft, was considered one of the best talent pools in SuperDraft history. Forty-two of the 60 players drafted attended the 2009 adidas MLS Player Combine; 10 combine players were selected in the first round. The 2010 MLS SuperDraft will be held on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010 in Philadelphia. The initial player list was determined by a select panel of Division I college coaches representing all conferences who nominated and voted for players in conjunction with MLS coaches. Youth players from the Generation adidas program will join additional collegiate players from NCAA Division II and III schools, NAIA schools and Division I alternates to finalize the 2010 adidas MLS Player Combine. The final player list and team assignments will be announced in the coming weeks. The 2010 adidas MLS Player Combine will separate all players into four teams and feature two games per day at Central Brower Regional Park on Jan. 9, 10 and 12. Each team will be led by an experienced Division I coach who will be assisted by an experienced soccer professional.
