Soccer stars leave school for pros

The Cavalier Daily CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (U-WIRE) - Scott Vermillion and Ben Olsen were among the final players Bruce Arena recruited before he left Virginia to coach in the professional ranks three years ago. In the last two weeks, both Cavalier soccer standouts joined their former coach in Major League Soccer by forgoing their fourth years to participate in the league's Project 40. Now, current Cav Coach George Gelnovatch must deal with the sudden loss of two of his best players just one month after the Cavaliers' 2-0 loss in the NCAA Championship game. "I understand playing in the pros does help players," Gelnovatch said about the decisions by Olsen and Vermillion. "But it cannot continue like it is now, with players leaving in mid-January." The players turned professional through MLS's new developmental program, Project 40, which essentially is designed to keep top young players out of college soccer to play professionally as early as possible. The first Project 40 group signed included several high school stars. "Project 40 was established for players as an alternative to playing college soccer," D.C. United Press Officer Michael Kammarman said. "The players are assigned to individual teams during the week and then play games with an [A-League] team made up entirely of Project 40 players on weekends." The roots of the program that would entice Olsen coincide with the American soccer community's efforts to improve the quality of the nation's player pool.