Sturgis, McCarty Leave School Early For MLS

Eleven players including Clemson’s Nathan Sturgis and UNC’s Dax McCarty have signed MLS Generation adidas contracts. They are now eligible for the Jan. 20 MLS SuperDraft and will receive college tuition grants to complete their education.

Sturgis (St. Augustine, FL) was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and McCarty (Winter Park, FL) was a key performer for the Tar Heels who reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA playoffs last fall. Both are former U.S.Under-17 National Team players.

Defender Blake Wagner (Tampa, FL) and forward Josmer Altifore (Boca Raton, FL), current U17 National Team players, will forgo college to turn professional right away. Both played for the U.S. Under-17s at the U17 World Cup in September.

Other collegiate players from the group of 11 are Patrick Ianni (UCLA), Kei Kamara (Cal State Dominguez Hills), Sacha Kljestan (Seton Hall), Jacob Peterson (Indiana), Willie Simms (Cal State Northridge), Marvell Wynne (UCLA) and Jed Zayner (Indiana).

Also, Jason Garey, the University of Maryland striker who was the nation’s leading goalscorer and 2005 MAC Hermann Trophy winner, has signed a contract with MLS. He is expected to be one of the first players taken in the MLS SuperDraft which will be held in the Philadelphia Convention Center next Friday.

Indiana also lost Brian Polotkin, who also signed with MLS, as well as Santa Clara midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy and Yura Movsisyan, a forward at Pasadena City College.