Alanis, Pina to try out for professional soccer team

Central Dutch Athletics

PELLA — A pair of former Central College men’s soccer players are vying for a shot at professional contracts this weekend at a tryout for Austin Bold FC in Bettendorf, Iowa.

Forward Miguel Pina (senior, Chicago, Ill., Taft HS) and midfielder Daniel Alanis (senior, Glendale, Ariz., Apollo HS) are both preparing to take a crack at earning a spot with the upstart franchise.

The two-day tryout will take place at the new TBK Sports Complex in Bettendorf that features a full-length indoor field. Participants will be broken up into four pre-determined groups, with each group participating in a 90-minute training sessions with the Austin Bold FC scouting staff on Saturday, December 15. On Sunday, the teams will face off in 30-to-40 minute matches in a round robin format. The top 20 players will be selected to play in a match against a local college team that will conclude the tryout.

Austin Bold FC is based in the capital city of Texas. The franchise will compete in the USL Championship, a Division II league sanctioned league in the U.S. Soccer Federation hierarchy consisting of 36 teams in the United States and Canada. Led by head coach Marcelo Serrano, the club’s inaugural season will kick off in March 2019.