Scouts from US colleges and universities, and professional football teams in Mexico and the United States are in St. Kitts for the SKNFA scouting showcase to take place for the next three days at the SKNFA Technical Center in St. Peters. This combine will see young football prospects between the ages of 17 and 22 given a chance to try out for a US college, with the hope of getting a scholarship to play football and professional tryouts for local players between the ages of 18 and 25. Some players from French St. Martin also arrived on the island Sunday to be part of the combine. We caught up with some of the scouts on Sunday as they arrived at the RLB International Airport. Herrera Raul, Head Coach of Richland College in Texas said he is excited to be in St. Kitts. “The international game in the college and the universities in the United States have grown a lot so it’s always good to expand and grow the talent,” he said.
Clemeinein Oancea is also excited to be in St. Kitts to see the talent here and to see what SKNFA President Atiba Harris has done over the past two years. Oscar Munoz of San Antonio FC said he is anticipating “fast players with new techniques” in St. Kitts and Nevis. Adam Kay of Louisiana State University (LSU) Shreveport said he is hoping to find players who are ready to “go now” and those who can be developed over time. Andy Herron, a former Cota Rica International, who now works for the Chicago Fire MLS team, said he believes St. Kitts and Nevis is a good place for football talent and he is excited to see what the country has to offer. “We are very excited to see what will happen over the next three days,” Herron said. Manolo Vega of Club Puebla in Mexico said: “I am interested in seeing players in the area and to look for some opportunities (for these players) for our club,” he said. M. Gonzalez of Club Necaxa, also of Mexico, expressed similar sentiments to Vega. Wayne Simmonds of Connecticut United, said he expects to see some great athleticism from players who will participate in the combine. “I expect to see a lot of athleticism. Players that are hungry to show that they can play at the next level given the opportunity. Lots of excitement and just players who are willing to express themselves,” Simmonds said.
On Sunday evening, the scouts watched a scrimmage with St. Kitts and Nevis U-20 national team players at the Technical Center to get a first look at some of the players who may be participating in the tryouts later this week. The scouts are from Major League Soccer in the US, USL, LIGA MX in Central America and NCAA Division 1,2, and 3 Colleges in the USA. The first tryout starts Monday at 5pm. For more information, visit www.sknfa.com.
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