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Their college careers are behind them. So is the Major League Soccer combine.

Thursday, former Creighton soccer players Ethan Finlay, Andrew Duran, Greg Jordan and Tyler Polak will learn where they'll be playing their next games.

The MLS holds its Super Draft in Kansas City. All four former Bluejays are projected to be among the 38 players who will hear their names called in the two-round draft.

"Anywhere I go,'' Polak said, "I'll be excited.''

Polak, who announced last month that he was leaving Creighton after two seasons, is being projected as a first-round pick. So is Finlay, the national player of the year runner-up. Duran and Jordan are considered second-rounders who could get an earlier call.

The only other time four former Bluejays were selected in the same draft was in 2000, when there were more rounds and more picks. The ex-Creighton players selected that year went with the 25th, 34th, 50th and 70th picks.

Players not selected in Thursday's Super Draft will be eligible for Tuesday's four-round supplemental draft.

Polak, Finlay, Duran and Jordan participated in the MLS Combine Friday through Tuesday in Lauderhill, Fla. Games were played Friday, Sunday and Tuesday, and Finlay missed the Friday session as he was in St. Louis for the national player of the year award banquet.

He scored three goals in Sunday's game. Tuesday, he signed a contract with the league and adidas.

"That was kind of my goal, to go there and get a contract,'' Finlay said. "Since I've signed, I know I'm going to get drafted. I just don't know which team is going to pick me.

"I'll still have to make the team, but it's nice to have the contract before the draft.''

Polak also has signed a Generation adidas contract, which allowed him to go to the combine. The Generation adidas program is designed to raise the level of soccer talent in the United States.

Players under contract do not count toward a team's roster limit and generally make a salary higher than the league minimum.

"Having the Generation adidas contract does not make things easier, but it does make things a little more comfortable,'' Polak said. "I know some team is going to want me.

"Still, when I went to the combine, I knew I had to play my hardest. I don't like to have a bad game or make a bad pass. The combine atmosphere was pretty intimidating. You know that if you make a mistake, someone saw it. It makes for kind of a weird situation, but it was still fun.''

Finlay said Duran, who battled injuries throughout his Creighton career, might have benefited the most from participating in the combine.

"I think he boosted his stock,'' Finlay said. "Coming in, he looked like a second-round pick, but I think he played his way into a possible first-round pick. He showed people he could be a strong defender that can get forward. I think he surprised some people with his ability to move on the field.''

Finlay said he had an opportunity to talk to officials associated with several teams while at the combine, but he has no idea which team might select him in the draft.

"I'd like to land in Kansas City, but I really don't have a preference,'' Finlay said. "I've talked to a lot of teams, and a lot of teams have talked to my agent. We'll just have to see where this leads.''

Contact the writer:

402-679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com

twitter.com/PivOWH

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