From December 26 to the end of January, IU men's soccer coach Mike Freitag will have traveled more miles than many soccer teams have ever traveled during the regular season.\nThe day after Christmas, Freitag left for the Disney Soccer Showcase in Orlando, Fla., which Freitag called, "the premier recruiting tournament in the country." Then, he returned to the Midwest for the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Presentation in his native St. Louis last Friday (senior Brian Plotkin was a finalist for the award), and yesterday he departed for Carson, Calif., as Major League Soccer invited Freitag out to coach at the four-day 2006 adidas MLS Player Combine at The Home Depot Center, which concludes Sunday.\nFreitag was one of four college coaches selected to lead one of the four teams in the combine. Former Hoosier standouts Plotkin, Mike Ambersley and junior Jed Zayner will play on Freitag's adidas Predator team.\n"I think I just sit on the sideline and let players play and tell who goes in and who goes out," Freitag said. "It's a nice opportunity. ... (Ambersley, Plotkin, and Zayner) are stuck with me for three more games."\nPlotkin and Zayner signed contracts with MLS. Junior Jacob Peterson's hometown newspaper -- the Kalamazoo Gazette -- reported Dec. 20, 2005 that the striker signed a three-year contract with the league. Freitag said Ambersley is the only one of the group still trying to make a name for himself and that is the reason he has not signed a contract.\nFormer freshman forward Lee Nguyen returned to training Tuesday with PSV Eindhoven's first squad after the Holland team's winter break, according to www.noticias.info.\nAfter coming back to Bloomington from his coaching stint in Southern California, Freitag will repack his bags and head for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America annual convention in Philadelphia Jan. 18-22, which also includes the MLS Super Draft Jan. 20. \n"I'm excited to see some of my players at the convention," Freitag said.\nFreitag's 31-day tour will come to an end when he and IU women's soccer coach Mick Lyon travel to Louisville, Ky., for an IU Varsity Club dinner Jan. 26.
Walk into Freitag's office in Assembly Hall and you'll see All-American certificates from the NSCAA, given to past IU men's soccer players lining his walls. Last week, the NSCAA gave more awards to some future IU soccer players.\nThe NSCAA named current high school senior Eric Alexander from Portage, Mich., the organization's Boys High School National Player of the Year. Ofori Sarkodie -- who just enrolled at IU this semester and will wear cream and crimson in the fall -- received the Boys Youth National Player of the Year honor.\nAlexander and Sarkodie played together with the Region II Olympic Development Team in 2002 and 2003.\nSarkodie lived in Bradenton, Fla., with the United States under-17 Men's National Team, which played in last year's FIFA U-17 World Championship. The defender, who has 31 international appearance in the U-17s, anchored a defense that allowed only two goals in the tournament.\n"I'm really happy to get the award ," Sarkodie said. "Heading into IU, I feel real comfortable with the coaches and the players. We're looking forward to having a tremendous season next fall."\nAlexander played for IU soccer alumnus B.J. Snow at Portage Central High School. Alexander led the Mustangs to the regional final the past two seasons and was Michigan's Mr. Soccer for 2005. His club team -- Vardar '88 -- won two State Cup titles in Michigan. The midfielder's National Letter of Intent is not finalized and NCAA rules prohibit coaches from commenting on recruits until all parties complete the letter.\n"It was a nice thing to win," Alexander said. "But I didn't expect to win it or anything. I just try not to make a big deal about it, if possible.
The IU men's soccer team may have lost to the Mexican U-17 Men's National Team last April, but Freitag said he enjoyed what he saw out of the play last spring and said there is a possibility the two teams could meet again this spring. The IU coach also said that IU could play the United States U-17 Men's National Team as well.\nLast April, the Tricolores defeated the Hoosiers 2-1 in Bloomington and went on to win the FIFA U-17 World Championship in October.\nCollege teams are allowed five exhibition spring games, but if they play a national team, that match does not count against the allotted five.\n"Notre Dame usually sets it up and I know Notre Dame has had correspondence to have one of the Mexican National Teams come and play us and Notre Dame," Freitag said. "We're maybe even trying to make it more of a tournament format where the (U.S.) Under-17 National Team comes and we'll find another team. One day we play the U.S., the other team plays Mexico and then flop around (the next day). It's a possibility. Lot's of things are just on the drawing board right now"
