TAMPA, Fla. – USL today announced the initial list of participants for the 2013 USL PRO Combine, with a number of familiar names in the group set to train and compete at the world-class facilities of IMG Academy from January 24-27, 2013. Now in its seventh year, the USL PRO Combine provides an opportunity for elite men’s soccer players to showcase their talents for both domestic and international scouts and professional coaches.

Among those selected are former Los Angeles Galaxy player Dustin McCarty. A former standout at the University of North Carolina and the PDL’s Carolina Dynamo, the younger brother of U.S. international Dax McCarty leads the group of defenders that also include former Des Moines Menace standout Logan McDaniel, a former MLS supplemental draft pick of the Portland Timbers and two-time All-West Coast Conference selection, and Real Maryland’s Josh Danza.

Players who participated at the 2012 USL PRO Combine also return for the second consecutive year, with goalkeeper Robert Mueller back after spending the past summer with the PDL’s Austin Aztex. Others include the St. Louis Lions’ Dean Lovegrove, who had five goals this past PDL season, and Moses Aduny, who helped Orlando City U23 reach the PDL playoffs.

Other players selected include River City Rovers standout Dillon Tufty, who had nine goals and three assists in 10 appearances this summer in the PDL, and Steven Beattie, who was selected in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft by Toronto FC after standout seasons in the PDL for the St. Louis Lions and Cincinnati Kings before heading most recently to Iceland to play for UMF Tindastoll.

“We are delighted with the quality of player that has applied for this year’s combine,” USL National Technical Director Peter Mellor said. “For the second consecutive season we have had more than 400 applicants for the event, making the selection process a very difficult one, but we believe that a number of this year’s group has what it takes to play in USL PRO in the upcoming season.”

Players such as the Orlando City U23’s Anthony Arico and Chip Sanders, who had a 0.538 goals-against average for the Lions this past summer, former Montreal Impact forward Steven Miller and FC London’s Chris Dillon, who helped his side claim the 2012 PDL Championship, are also among those that could catch the eye of the USL PRO and MLS coaches who will be in attendance.

Past beneficiaries of the event include 2012 USL PRO Rookie of the Year finalist Bryce Taylor of the Wilmington Hammerheads, who was scouted by the Hammerheads at last year’s event. He followed in the footsteps of 2011 USL PRO Rookie of the Year Luke Mulholland (Wilmington) and 2012 USL PRO Rookie of the Year Jose Cuevas (Charleston), who both participated in the 2011 Combine. The 2012 scoring leaders for USL PRO’s Dayton Dutch Lions – Eli Garner and Gibson Bardsley – were signed following their performances at the 2012 USL PRO Combine.

Goalkeepers will report and begin training for the 2013 USL PRO Combine on Thursday, January 24, followed by field players on Friday, January 25. The event concludes on Sunday, January 27.

IMG Academy, a division of IMG Worldwide, the global sports, fashion and media company, is the world’s largest and most advanced multi-sport training and education complex. For more than 30 years, IMG Academy has helped countless youth, adult, collegiate and professional athletes reach their full potential in and out of sport, by providing world-class coaching, tailored programs and professional facilities within an energetic environment across a 450-acre campus.