Dec. 5, 2006
NEW YORK - San Diego State senior All-American goalkeeper Tally Hall (Gig Harbor, Wash.) has been selected to participate in 2007 adidas Major League Soccer Player Combine. The annual player combine will be held at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Jan. 5-8, 2007.
The coaching staffs and general managers from all 13 MLS teams will in attendance to scout talent at the combine, which concludes four days before the 2007 MLS SuperDraft. Of the 48 players selected in the four rounds of the 2006 MLS SuperDraft, 23 participated in the 2006 adidas MLS Player Combine.
The initial list of players for this year's combine was determined by a select panel of Division I college coaches who nominated and voted for players in conjunction with MLS coaches. Hall, who was named a second-team All-American by NSCAA/adidas last week, is one of five goalkeepers of the 58 collegiate seniors selected to participate in the combine.
The 2007 adidas MLS Player Combine will separate all players into four teams and feature doubleheaders at Lockhart Stadium on Jan. 5, 6 and 8. Players will arrive on Jan. 4 and participate in organizational training sessions that same afternoon.
Hall is currently in Sweden for a week-long trial with Swedish top flight bronze medalists Hammarby IF. Hammarby IF is currently fighting to advance from the Royal League group phase with a 0-3-1 record in Group B. Hammarby has already qualified for next summer's Intertoto Cup, which provides UEFA Cup bids to three teams.
Hall, who was a semifinalist for the 2006 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy, went 9-5-4 with a 1.04 goals against average and 80.0 shots-on-goal save percentage this season. In Pac-10 play, Hall was even better, going 5-1-3 and leading the conference in shutouts (four), goals against average (0.72) and shots-on-goal save percentage (0.72).
Hall, a first-team all-Pac-10 honoree for the second straight season, was an All-America selection by three publications last year, including a third-team honoree by NSCAA/adidas.
Hall was named Co-Most Valuable Player of The Soccer Post/Aztec Classic and later garnered all-tournament accolades at the USD/San Diego State Soccer Classic. On Sept. 26, he was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week for the first time in his career and on Oct. 2 he was selected to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week.
The Aztecs finished their season at 9-6-4 and advanced to their second straight NCAA tournament before falling to 2006 NCAA Champion UC Santa Barbara, 2-1, in the first round.