By Ridge Mahoney
Senior Editor, Soccer America

EIGHT ON BOARD. As of Tuesday, eight players had been signed by MLS to Generation adidas contracts. More signings are possible prior to the SuperDraft, which is scheduled to begin at noon Eastern on Friday, but none are pending at this time.

None of the eight are surprises, and 15-year old Abdus Ibrahim and U.S. U-20 international Bryan Arguez, who turns 18 the day after the draft, are deemed to be much further along than was midfielder Nik Besagno when Real Salt Lake took him as a 16-year-old with the No. 1 pick two years ago.

“He’s [Ibrahim] just a terrific talent, and it will be interesting to follow his career over the next decade and a half,” said former Crew coach Greg Andrulis, coach of the Tango team on which Ibrahim played at the combine. “He did just a great job. For him to make the step up, typically, will be the issues off the field probably more than on the field because he’s such a talented player.”

Generation adidas players do not count against the salary cap nor the 18-man roster. They keep this exempt status until MLS officials determine they have sufficient league experience to be reclassified.

Official announcement of the signings is expected by Wednesday. Four players are members of the U.S. under-20 team that is in Florida preparing for the CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the U-20 World Cup that begins Jan. 17. They are marked by an asterisk (*).

According to a confidential source, these players are done deals: goalkeeper Chris Seitz* (University of Maryland); defenders Bakary Soumare (University of Virginia) and Anthony Wallace* (University of South Florida); midfielders Nico Colaluca (University of Virginia), Abdus Ibrahim (Wing Nationals/Richfield, Minn.), Maurice Edu (University of Maryland), Amaechi Igwe* (Santa Clara University) and Bryan Arguez* (Boca Juniors-Fla./Miami, Fla.).

Several other U-20s, including Sal Zizzo of UCLA, will most likely wait until they play in the U-20 world championships in July before deciding whether – and where – to turn pro.

FORWARD THINKING. With no Generation adidas forwards in the frame, the stock of Ryan Guy (University of San Diego) and Robbie Findlay (Oregon State), among others, goes up, as does that of Canadian Jeff Gonsalves (Rhode Island) and New Zealander Jarrod Smith (West Virginia).

Efforts by MLS to sign Boston College striker Charlies Davies were unsuccessful. His decision to sign with Swedish club Hammarby and the dearth of Generation adidas options leaves the field wide-open when pondering which forward(s) will be taken first.

Findlay blasted an impressive goal and Guy evaded several defenders to tally on the first day of the combine.

Gonsalves pulled out of the combine with a case of mononucleosis and with Toronto holding the first pick is an obvious possibility, although Coach Mo Johnston has already traded allocation money to D.C. United in exchange for Alecko Eskandarian. Johnston is stocked with Canadian internationals in the back and in goal, as well as allocation money, and could swing another trade to get an additional first-round pick, as he has already traded his second-round pick to FC Dallas in the Ronnie O’Brien deal.

Smith bagged a goal at the combine and the excellent track record of several capped Kiwis in MLS – Simon Elliott, Duncan Oughton, Ryan Nelsen – makes him an intriguing possibility. He won’t be a senior international until he turns 25 in 2009.

Andrulis said that Fort Lewis College forward John Cunliffe turned some heads. Cunliffe set up a goal for Jared Kent (Old Dominion) with a run down the left flank and later scored himself on another nifty dribble and finish as the combine wrapped up on Monday. He had assisted twice on the first day of combine play.

“He’s really helped himself here,” said Andrulis of Cunliffe. “The league and the people who do the selections, like Bob Gray, get a lot of credit for finding a guy like that and getting him in here. I think he’d be one of those guys picked pretty high.”

Cunliffe was one player to display both creative and finishing ability. Another was Sinisa Ubiparipovic (Akron). “He was involved in all three goals we scored this week,” said Tricolore coach John Trask. “He’s a talented player.”

ORDER, ORDER. Here are the picks currently held by each team, listed in their first-round draft order, with the number of picks in parentheses (picks in the first two rounds/total picks). The New York Red Bulls have no first-round pick and only two of the 52 selections in the four rounds.

1. Toronto FC (1/3)
2. Columbus (2/4)
3. Kansas City (1/3)
4. Real Salt Lake (1/2)
5. Los Angeles (5/7)
6. Colorado (3/6)
7. Chivas USA (1/2)
8. Chicago (2/4)
9. FC Dallas (3/6)
10. Los Angeles
11. D.C. United (2/5)
12. New England (2/4)
13. Houston (2/4)
19.(second round) New York Red Bulls (1/2)