NSC Minnesota Stars Combine Begins Tuesday

The National Sports Center will conduct their pro soccer team combine this week. Over 100 players have signed up for the Minnesota Stars tryout leaving a daunting task for coach Manny Lagos and the staff he’s collected to help him with the winnowing process.

The trials will begin on Monday with an orientation. Tuesday through Thursday will see the players put through many scrimmages to evaluate their skills.

Most combines find several players that may get a roster spot on the team. Last year the Thunder didn’t sign anyone to a contract that attended the combine. But with the Stars being a new team and with only 7 players currently under contract, expect a good number of players to be plucked from these trials that will be wearing the NSC Blue and Yellow this summer.

Scott Kerssen is a long-time Thunder supporter and now a Stars supporter even though he currently lives in Milwaukee. He has become Minnesota’s resident/ex-resident  expert on our soccer team’s combines. He has been keeping track of and attending these tryouts as an observer for quite a number of years.

Kerssen said  that having 100 plus applicants is not unusual at all. He did state that the amount who are actually accepted tends to run around 70. “Much more than that and it gets hard to get even a decent look at everyone,” said Kerssen.

With the cooperation of the NSC Stars, Kerssen has created a list of the players on trial and given us some links to go with their names for some preliminary information on these players. You can find it all by going here to the Minnesota Stars discussion board.

Kerssen conducts a contest every year where supporters can make a guess as to who will end up getting a contract. The winner usually wins one of Kerssen’s many soccer jerseys he’s collected over the years.

He states the rules are: Pick 6 players and 4 alternates (in case of last minute dropouts) who you think are most likely to be signed by the Stars. The person who gets the most correct wins a size XL Official Chicago Fire Replica Jersey with a “mitful” of autographs on it.

IMS hopes to bring you some reports from the combine this week.

The schedule for the combine that will be held at the NSC is:

»  Monday, March 1, 8:00pm Orientation Meeting
»  Tuesday, March 2, 8:30am – 11:00am AND 1:00pm-3:30pm
»  Wednesday, March 3, 8:30am – 11:00am AND 1:00pm-3:30pm
»  Thursday, March 4, 8:30am – 11:00am AND 1:00pm-3:30pm

The supporters Scarf is currently being designed by the Dark Cloud supporters but ideas and designs are welcome from everyone. All designs are asked to be submitted by Tuesday, March 2.  IMS will direct you to the contest site to vote for the best design when it is available.

You can see the current scarf designs submitted by going here.  Past scarf designs submitted can be found here.  The discussion on the scarf can be found here.