A new chapter in Caribbean football history was written yesterday as the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and Major League Soccer (MLS), entered into a partnership agreement to host an MLS Caribbean Player Combine in January 2014.

The announcement was made at the City View Hotel in St Johns, Antigua, where CFU president Gordon Derrick, Antigua and Barbuda Football Association president Everton Gonsalves, and MLS technical director Alfonso Mondelo shed light on the

exciting venture.

The event will feature elite-level players invited from around the Caribbean, aged 18-22, who will compete in front of league scouts for an opportunity to earn an invitation to the annual adidas MLS Player Combine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida later that month.

The four-day event (January 2-5) will take place at the Antigua Recreation Grounds, and will include training sessions and games against local clubs.

Mondelo said the Caribbean is an area which has been underserved when it comes to scouting, and history has shown that numerous talented players have emerged from the region.

“Quite a few players have played, continue to play in the MLS and have done so successfully. Now we are looking forward to the next generation of players who will be coming in. As MLS moves forward, we have a mission of being one of the top leagues in the world by 2022,” said Mondelo.

CFU boss Derrick thanked the MLS for its foresight in creating an avenue that will create opportunity for players in the region.

“(We hope) that this partnership will continue to grow and throughout time youngsters will see the true avenue and direction of how they can make a living from this wonderful sport called football,”

he said.

The CFU will ask its 31 member associations to select those players who fit the required criteria, and will collaborate with the associations to ensure that registration and other organisational matters are administered appropriately.