Jimmy Conrad, widely regarded as one of the best young defenders in the A-League, is joining the San Jose Clash as a Major League Soccer “discovery player,” Director of Soccer Renato Capobianco announced Feb. 12. Capobianco also announced that Stanford University midfielder Simon Elliott, who in 1998 helped the Cardinal to its first appearance in the NCAA Final Four, will begin training with the Clash. Conrad met the Clash on Thursday in San Diego, where the team reconvened at the University of San Diego to resume training after spending the first two weeks of camp in San Jose. Elliott is expected to join the team Sunday, when the Clash plays its first preseason game, against the Colorado Rapids, at USD’s Canyon Field. Conrad, who turns 22 today, helped anchor the San Diego Flash defense as the team won the A-League Western Conference championship in 1998. The 6-foot-2, 165-pounder, part of UCLA’s national championship team in 1997, becomes the fourth Flash player to join the Clash in the past three weeks, along with forward Anthony Farace, midfielder Carlos Farias and goalkeeper Joe Cannon. “Jimmy Conrad has the potential to be a very good player in our league,” Clash Coach Brian Quinn said. “He is a tremendous presence in the air, and he has very good skills on the ball.” Elliott, was Stanford’s leading scorer in 1998, with nine goals and seven assists. A native of New Zealand, he has made 36 appearances for the New Zealand national team. The Clash is scheduled to play three preseason games in San Diego before leaving Feb. 20 for Toluca, Mexico, where three more preseason games are scheduled before the team returns home March 5.