Midwest Pro Soccer Combine Announces Hotel Partner

November 02, 2017 / Eric Rudland / Source

With the move to the Legacy Center Sports Complex the Midwest Pro Soccer Combine has entered into a new partnership with the Brighton Courtyard by Marriott. With the partnership players, pro clubs and agents can easily book rooms online receiving the event’s special room rate that includes breakfast. Rooms can be booked Sunday, December 17th through Tuesday, December 19th, 2017. The Brighton Courtyard by Marriott is centrally located in Brighton, Michigan and offers guests top amenities. To book your room, click here.

About the Midwest Pro Soccer Combine

The second annual Midwest Pro Soccer Combine will take place on Monday, December 18th & Tuesday, December 19th at the Legacy Center Sports Complex in Brighton, Michigan. The combine will accept the top professional prospects to play for two days in front of professional coaches, scouts and intermediaries from North America and abroad.

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Midwest Pro Soccer Combine Moves to Legacy Center Sports Complex

September 28, 2017 / B. Saeed

“We are extremely excited to partner with the Midwest Pro Soccer Combine this year and into the future. We feel strongly that with our facilities and experience working with professional athletes, coupled with the excellent reputation of the Midwest Pro Soccer Combine, this partnership will create a truly dynamic event.”

— Droo Callahan, Sports & Programming Director

After the success of the inaugural Midwest Pro Soccer Combine in 2016, the 2017 event will partner with the Legacy Center Sports Complex, Michigan’s Premier Athletic Facility.

“The development of the Legacy Center over the past few years has been tremendous and their partnership will enhance the overall player and scout experience at the Midwest Pro Soccer Combine. This is a partnership that makes sense and we are looking forward to building an amazing event together,” said Midwest Pro Soccer Combine Director, Eric Rudland.

The Legacy Center Sports Complex first opened their doors in November of 2013 with a 104,000 sq. ft. Dome, 7 outdoor multi sport fields and a Fitness Center. Since then they have expanded to over 220,000 sq. ft. of indoor facilities which include a Field House Stadium, Baseball Training Center and additional Fitness Suites for members. The Field House Stadium, where the combine will take place, boasts state of the art turf, stadium seating for optimal viewing, a mezzanine event space and amenities including food & beverage.

Along with the Legacy Center’s premier facility they have an in-house performance program, Legacy Performance Training lead by Director Randy Young. Their Performance training center frequently trains professional athletes and will facilitate all of the Midwest Pro Soccer Combine fitness testing for 2017.

Droo Callahan, Sports & Programming Director for Legacy Center Sports Complex added, “We are extremely excited to partner with the Midwest Pro Soccer Combine this year and into the future. We feel strongly that with our facilities and experience working with professional athletes, coupled with the excellent reputation of the Midwest Pro Soccer Combine, this partnership will create a truly dynamic event.”

About the Midwest Pro Soccer Combine

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Former Buckeye Proves Capabilities at Combine

August 30, 2017 / B. Saeed

“You must work day in and day out in order to make your dreams a reality.”

— Ben Fitzpatrick

Ben Fitzpatrick hails from Hillard, Ohio, a town just outside of Columbus. He shined early on in his career at Hillard Bradley High School earning Rookie of the Year honors his freshman year. As his high school career went on, the awards piled up. At the end of his career, Fitzpatrick had accumulated All-District first team, first team All-OCC, and nominated as Player of the Conference. This strong high school performance landed him the opportunity to play college soccer at Urbana University.

Playing college soccer was always a dream for Fitzpatrick and he surely didn’t take the opportunity for granted. “You must work day in and day out in order to make your dreams a reality. There will definitely be roadblocks along the way but you have to continue to push towards your goal,” Fitzpatrick said. This attitude kept Ben motivated and took his game to new heights.

Throughout his three years at Urbana, Ben totaled 13 goals and countless other accolades, such as Second Team All Region, D2CAA All Atlantic Region First Team, and MEC first team. This exceptional career drew the attention of several Division 1 head coaches. After weighing his options, Fitzpatrick decided to take his game to Columbus and play his senior season at Ohio State University.

The Buckeyes trusted Fitzpatrick from the get go, giving him the start in 14 games. He didn’t disappoint and ended his collegiate career in strong fashion, finishing fourth on the team in total points. Though he spent only one year as a Buckeye, playing at Ohio State put Fitzpatrick on a platform that greatly benefited his career.

Once his college career concluded, Fitzpatrick was determined to give a playing career in soccer a chance before apply his education to a more formal job.

“I always watched sports on T.V. when I was young and dreamed of playing in front of thousands of people. Whether it was soccer or basketball it didn’t matter. I just loved being a good athlete. So I didn’t really tell myself I wanted to be a professional soccer player until I was a senior in high school. I realized that soccer was the thing I loved the most and that it is what I want to do for a living. I just can’t see myself working a 9-5 job in a cubicle. It’s just not who I am," said Fitzpatrick.

“Getting the chance to play in front of a group of professional coaches and scouts was something I could not pass up on. The Midwest Pro Soccer Combine gave us the chance to show what we were capable of while also getting to play with other high level players.”

— Ben Fitzpatrick

This ambition got closer to reality when the former Buckeye was offered a roster spot with the Michigan Bucks, a team in the Premier Development League (PDL).

As a midfielder for the Bucks, Fitzpatrick tallied 10 goals and 3 assists in 18 appearances all while leading the club to a league title. Throughout his year in the PDL, Fitzpatrick performed at an extremely high level which caught the eye of soccer professionals around the area. Because of this strong showing, Fitzpatrick earned himself an invitation to the Midwest Pro Soccer Combine.

He discussed how this opportunity changed his career, adding, “Personally, I was someone who was not really on anybody's radar. So getting the chance to play in front of a group of professional coaches and scouts was something I could not pass up on. The Midwest Pro Soccer Combine gave us the chance to show what we were capable of while also getting to play with other high level players. So getting the chance to play under a good staff that the combine brought in as well as playing with other players aspiring to take their game to the next level definitely help prepared me for the pros.”

If Fitzpatrick wasn’t on coaches radars before the combine, he certainly was after. Within two weeks after the completion of the combine, Fitzpatrick inked his first professional contract with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

Although this will be a moment that lives with the young footballer forever, Fitzpatrick is just getting started in the pros. He’s made it clear that his goal is to make it to top tier of American Soccer, MLS. The jump to the professional ranks of soccer has already done wonders for Fitzpatrick’s game. Soccer is now his full time job and with the commitment and determination he already holds, his ability is limitless. Don’t be surprised if his you hear his name pop up in an MLS broadcast in the future, the kid is the real deal.

About the Midwest Pro Soccer Combine

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