MLS: Ridding of the combine must also rid culture

Paul Tenorio reported that MLS is considering ridding of the combine as early as next year. For U.S. soccer to develop, however, the culture of the combine must also be rid of, not just the event itself.

The MLS SuperDraft has finished. The final rounds were conducted on Monday, with many teams passing on their picks, which, if nothing else, makes a clear statement of the utility and impact of the SuperDraft in the modern era of Major League Soccer.

What has been made increasingly clear in recent seasons, and especially so this year, is that, to stay relevant, the SuperDraft needs a major re-haul. MLS Commissioner Don Garber doubled-down on the value of the event during the SuperDraft this year, but even its biggest supporters must begin to admit that its value is limited.

One option, as reported by Paul Tenorio of The Athletic, is to mix the combine and the SuperDraft into one event. The combine still serves some purpose: many general managers and club officials will meet at the combine and discuss possible trades and roster moves. There is not the time for the same detailed discussions at the SuperDraft.

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Tenorio, however, also suggested that the combine could be rid of entirely. As the American public has widened their soccer watching and knowledge, taking in the Premier League, Bundesliga and more international football, there has been enlightenment about the ridiculousness of the athletic testing that goes on at the combine. And it seems to be slowly translating to the league also, veering away from the American culture that focuses on physical ability rather than technical skill and tactical understanding.

Take Tajon Buchanan, for instance. The Generation Adidas player was not selected until the ninth pick by the New England Revolution. Some expected him to be the number one selection. Few had him falling out of the top five. And yet, he was sat there, at the ninth pick, waiting to be drafted.

Buchanan is a project. He is not the complete player. But he blew up the combine, as they say. His athletic testing was sensational and his ceiling was awfully high.

MLS organisations, however, were not tempted. Not until the Revs selected him at a slot where the risk was such that it made sense to take a swing on a high-potential talent like Buchanan. That is an indication of the shifting priorities of youth development and culture. It is this culture, not necessarily the combine, that needs to be rid of.

In Basketball and Football especially, athletic testing is exceptionally important. You cannot overcome a simple lack of speed with tactical acumen. The sports don’t work that way. There is a minimum athleticism that every player must have, with different attributes prioritised for different positions.

That does not apply for soccer, though. Some of the best players in the world are thoroughly unathletic. How do you think Xavi or David Silva would fare at a combine of athletic testing? And that is because the technical and mental side of soccer is that much more influential than the athletic side. But the American sporting culture struggles to understand this.

If MLS does intend to revolutionise the SuperDraft and the combine, potentially ridding of either, then they must also rid of the athletic-first culture of American sports in soccer. The combine is not the problem. The SuperDraft, even, is not the problem. The culture is.