Two former Union 2 players invited to MLS College Showcase this weekend

Two former Philadelphia Union 2 players and another who spent a season in the Philadelphia Union Academy are on the list of players invited to the 2021 MLS College Showcase this weekend in Cary, N.C.

Upper Darby native Aboubacar Camara, a freshman forward for the University of Louisville, and Virginia Tech freshman midfielder Danny Flores are on the list. Maryland midfielder Ben Bender, who spent a season playing for the Union U14 team, is also among the 45 names invited to the event, which gives MLS technical staffs a chance to scout potential MLS SuperDraft picks.

Camara, who competed for Philadelphia Lone Star in USL League Two over the summer, scored 19 goals and dished out 3 assists in 30 games for the Cardinals across the spring and fall seasons in 2021. Though he never featured for Union 2 in an official match, he trained regularly with the team and was a prolific goal-scorer in his academy days.

Flores, a Half Moon Bay, Calif. native who joined the Union Academy from Shattuck-St. Mary’s in 2018, made 20 appearances for Union 2 before joining Oakland Roots on an amateur contract. He made 12 appearances for the Roots before his freshman year at Virginia Tech, where he had a standout season that earned him a place on the All-ACC Freshman Team.

Bender played for the Union U14 team during the 2015-16 Development Academy season. The Baltimore native was recently named a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy and was the Big Ten Midfielder of the Year. He is attending the event but will not be participating in the on-field portion, according to a news release from Maryland.

The second edition of the college showcase event will take place from Dec. 10-12 in conjunction with the 2021 NCAA Men’s College Cup in Cary. The 45 names on the list below — based on school announcements and a list published on TopDrawerSoccer.com — does not include any players from the four College Cup teams.

Full list of 45 invitees and 44 players expected to participate.

Matthew Ralph

Matthew Ralph is the managing editor of Philadelphia Soccer Now. He's covered soccer at all levels for a decade in the Philadelphia region and has also written for TheCup.us, NPSL, PrepSoccer and other publications. He lives with his wife and two young children in Broomall, Pa., but grew up in South Jersey and is originally from Kansas.

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