By Scott French

Soccer America Magazine

Senior Editor

in Carson, Calif.

Phil Hucles, an outside back from William & Mary, could make history at Friday's Major League Soccer draft in Charlotte, N.C., becoming half of the first brother-sister tandem in professional soccer.

His big sister, Angela, is a U.S. national team player who spent three seasons with the Boston Breakers in the WUSA and was traded to San Diego just before the league suspended operations last September.

She's hoping to be in a Spirit uniform next year, when WUSA officials hope to relaunch the league, and is ''keeping my fingers crossed'' that Phil will playing in MLS this year.

''I think he made a good showing,'' Angela said after watching her brother the first two days of the MLS pre-draft player combine at the Home Depot Center. ''It's the first time he's had this kind of tryout, against this kind of competition. Hopefully, he'll get drafted. I'm hoping for the best.''

She arrived in Southern California a day before the start of the women's national team's training camp, also at the Home Depot Center, so she could cheer Phil on as he played for the adidas Aveiro team during the three-day combine.

''I think it actually helped me get ready for [the women's] camp,'' said Angela, who was on the U.S. World Cup roster last fall but was unable to play because of injury. ''It was an exciting day for me, being able to watch my brother, cheer him on.''

Phil Hucles — at 21, he's four years younger than Angela — has been cheering his sister on for years, and watching her has helped his game.

''My sister has kind of come into a new position [moving from forward to central midfielder when the WUSA began], and I've made a transition to playing defense from playing mostly offensive positions most of my life,'' Phil said. ''Her composure on the ball and patience has worn off on myself. …

''My sister is up there. She's made it. She's, of course, been a role model for me. Just watching what she does is going to impact me.''

Phil, a three-time All-Colonial Athletic Association player at William & Mary, said he was pleased by his performance at the combine but unhappy that his time in the final match was limited after he tweaked an existing ankle injury.

''I came here to play, so getting hurt out there — I wanted to get back out there as fast as I could,'' he said. ''You've got to give it your all. You've got 60 guys here, all trying to give it their best. Nothing's for free. The people who make it and who don't are separated by just a little bit.

''Everyone out here, you know they have to be a good player to make it here. There's a couple big-name guys who, I think, it doesn't really matter what they do out here. They're going to get picked up. For the rest of us, we've got to show something to make it to the next step. This is the first step among many.

''You've got to show well here or you're not going to make it down the road.''

Hucles was part of an Aveiro backline that performed well while shutting out the other three combine teams and finishing the three-day event with a 3-0 record. He and UCLA's Leonard Griffin were outside backs with Maryland's Seth Stammler and Clarence Goodson in the middle.

''Having two guys in the center of the back who played together at school helped,'' Hucles said. ''With me and Leonard supporting them, we kind of meshed well in the back. I think if you're on a team that wins all three of your games, that speaks highly of you.''

Los Angeles Galaxy coach Sigi Schmid said Hucles will get a chance to play in MLS.

''I hadn't seen him play before, but I'd heard good things about him,'' Schmid said. ''Obviously, he had a good career at William & Mary. He's got good size, range, can play both inside and outside. He's definitely a guy who has a shot at making it.''