Canadians McNamara, Northey excel at USL Combine By Steven Sandor Posted on January 30, 2012 4 0 702 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter There is no news yet of any Canadian-player signings or training-camp invites out of this past weekend’s USL Combine held in Bradenton, Fla. — but word is that two of the Canucks there set themselves apart. University of Saskatchewan midfielder Josh Northey and Oakland University defender (and Toronto Lynx alumnus) Julian Konner McNamara reportedly made the strongest showings of the 12 Canadians who participated in the combine. Josh Northey USL general managers — as well as executives from other leagues, including MLS — were on hand to see more than 100 undrafted and unsigned prospects go through their paces. Of the 12 Canadians there, seven came from universities from our side of the border. The University of Saskatchewan led the way, with three prospects heading to Florida from that school. The Huskies also produced striker Paul Craig, who scored the goal that guaranteed FC Edmonton a playoff berth during his rookie NASL season. McNamara recently transferred to Oakland University, and is the son of former CD Nacional de Madeira (Portugal) players Glenn McNamara. His older brother Mikael, another Toronto Lynx product, spent the previous season with the Dayton Dutch Lions of the USL. Northey, a midfielder, ended his U of S career as a Canada West first-team all-star. He also played on the Canadian team that went to China for the 2011 Summer Universiade.
