John Justice
July 29, 2010-12:53 a.m. CST

HUNTSVILLE, Ala- Soccer players from across the country descended on Madison, AL for the NPSL All-Star game and pro-combine. The all-star team will be working out for talent scouts from across the country throughout the weekend and will cap their week off when they take the field against Huntsville’s NPSL team, Rocket City United on Friday, July 30 at 8 p.m.

The all-star team practiced together for the first time this morning. The warm weather of Alabama seemed to be taking its toll on many of the players.

“It’s not terrible, but it’s very hot and the humidity is really bad. Right now we’re doing two-a-days and its going to be tough,” said Ryan Schwartz, a standout goalkeeper from the Chicago Fire.

The players aren’t letting the weather affect their training and are keen on putting together a good performance for the talent scouts. “I’m really interested in getting some feedback and getting some pointers on what I need to improve in my game. I want to be seen by someone that will help me get to the next level and go forward in my career,” Schwartz said.

The all-star team takes on Rocket City United, a team that finished runners-up in the Southeast Conference this season. The all-stars face a few challenges in Friday’s match against RCU.

“Right now we’re just trying to get to know each other and get used to the different playing styles of one another. We’re also just trying to gel as quickly as possible so that we can get some cohesiveness before Friday’s game,” said Dan Stevens, a midfielder from FC Buffalo.

The NPSL Final Four begins this evening with FC Sonic vs Sacramento Gold at 5 pm CST and Chattanooga FC vs Madison 56ers at 8 pm CST. All games can be followed online via Twitter. Also, live audio will be provided by John Moran and Ryan Harbaugh through Teamline.

Below are two videos from this morning's practice. The first shows the final 6v6 small sided game at the end of today's session. The second is a short welcome from NPSL Commissioner Dan Trainor and NPSL Director of Officials Dave Simmons.