Canadians Skylar Thomas, Nikola Paunic invited to MLS Combine in January

TORONTO – Canadians Skylar Thomas and Nikola Paunic are among the 55 U.S. college seniors invited to the 2015 MLS Player Combine.

The player showcase is slated from Jan. 8-13 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The 2015 MLS SuperDraft is scheduled for Jan. 15 in Philadelphia.

Thomas, a centre back from Pickering, Ont., is a six-foot-three 180-pound co-captain at Syracuse University. He has eight goals in 56 career starts.

Paunic, a six-foot-three defender from Toronto, started 40 of 41 games in two years at the University of South Florida after spending two years at the University of Toronto. He has also played for the Canadian under-20 team as well as the Toronto FC Academy.

The players were chosen by a committee of NCAA Division I coaches and MLS coaches. The combine field will grow in the days to come with Generation Adidas signings, non-collegiate players and additional college seniors will be announced in the coming weeks.