SHIRLEY, ODURO INVITED TO 2006 MLS PLAYER COMBINE
12-1-05

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Major League Soccer announced that Virginia Commonwealth University senior defender Stephen Shirley (Carrollton, Texas) and senior forward Dominic Oduro (Accra, Ghana) were selected to participate in the 2006 adidas MLS Player Combine.

The combine will be held on January 12-15, 2006, at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

Shirley was named First Team All-Colonial Athletic Association this fall. He moved from defense to midfielder during the 2005 season and helped solidify the middle for the Rams. A three-year starter, Shirley was second on the team with three assists and finished fourth on the VCU all-time list with 16 career assists. He appeared in 56 matches during his three seasons at VCU with 54 starts and helped the Rams earn a pair of CAA regular-season titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances.

Oduro was the 2004 CAA Player of the Year and a Third Team All-American. Oduro led the team and the conference with 16 goals and 33 points in 2004. He appeared in 41 matches during his two years at VCU with 39 starts. For his career, Oduro had 18 goals, five assists and 41 points. Three of his goals were game-winners. Oduro helped the Rams reach the quarterfinals of the 2004 NCAA Tournament, VCU’s first quarterfinal appearance.

Former VCU All-America defender Gonzalo Segares participated in the 2005 MLS Player Combine and was selected in the third round by the Chicago Fire, the first Ram to be taken in the MLS Draft. Segares helped Chicago reach the semifinals of the MLS Playoffs.