ORLANDO – Gino Vivi, Lucca Dourado and Anderson Rosa of the UCF men's soccer team have been invited to the 2022 adidas MLS College Showcase. The Knights are one of just five programs to have three or more players invited to college soccer's biggest MLS scouting event.
The showcase will take place from Dec. 9-12 in Raleigh, North Carolina, in conjunction with the 2022 NCAA Men's College Cup, which is held in Cary, North Carolina. The four-day event will give technical staffs from every MLS club an opportunity to scout the top collegiate prospects in the nation, including players with remaining NCAA eligibility. The showcase is a closed-door scouting event officially sanctioned by the NCAA.
This is the second time that Rosa has been invited to the showcase after participating for the first time last December. Vivi and Dourado join Rosa, Cal Jennings and Louis Perez as Knights who have participated in the previous three editions of the adidas MLS College Showcase.
The Knights are in good company with their three invitees, as No. 1 Washington, No. 9 Marshall and No. 18 Clemson also had three players receive invites, while No. 6 Maryland received four. A total of 44 student-athletes were invited to attend the event, meaning that these five programs make up more than a third of the talent pool at the showcase.
Dourado was one of the nation's most electrifying strikers this past season, scoring 11 goals. He averaged 0.85 goals per game which currently ranks second in the country. Vivi missed some time with injury this past season but was still able to finish second on the team in scoring with two goals and five assists. Vivi climbed into a tie for 10th on UCF's career points list this season, sitting at 19 goals and 23 assists, resulting in 61 points. Rosa had another outstanding year on the backline for UCF and even tallied a goal and an assist in the process. All three members of the Black and Gold finished the year with American Athletic Conference honors as Dourado and Rosa were named to all-conference first team while Vivi received a second-team nod.
The adidas MLS College Showcase is held in preparation for the 2023 MLS SuperDraft, which for the first time will be held on Dec. 21 instead of in its usual slot in the middle of January. Eleven Knights have been selected in the MLS SuperDraft, with four of those selected in the first round. The eligible player list for the 2023 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas will be announced at a later date following the 2022 adidas MLS College Showcase.
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