PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Pilots Men's Soccer defender Nikos Clarke-Tosczak will participate in the 2025 MLS Showcase, marking the third straight year the Pilots have had players invited to the prestigious event. Clarke-Tosczak was invited along with Portland forward Joe Highfield, who has opted out due to injury.
 
The showcase is a closed-door event for college players to show their skills to over 100 Major League Soccer scouts, coaches and general managers ahead of the 2026 MLS SuperDraft. The showcase runs from Dec. 10-13 while the SuperDraft itself will take place on Thursday, Dec. 18.
 
The Pilots have had numerous players partake in the showcase under head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt, with Nick Fernandez – a second-round draft pick with the San Jose Earthquakes in last year's draft – most recently partaking. Past players such as Jacobo Reyes, Kevin Bonilla and Jacob Babalai along with Fernandez have all competed at the showcase since 2019, with Bonilla and Babalai both getting drafted Reyes playing professionally in Mexico. Eddie Sanchez also competed at the 2017 MLS Player Combine.
 
Clarke-Tosczak was stellar for Portland in his first year with the team. He played all 20 matches and logged the most minutes for Portland at 1,643 minutes, posting four assists starting at left back. He earned All-WCC Honorable Mention in his first year with Portland, helping guide a defense that allowed just 12 goals, the fewest since 1988 for a Pilot squad and tied for the sixth fewest in the nation.
 
Portland put together one of the best seasons in program history this year. Their 14-2-4 record gave them their best winning percentage since 1988 (.800) and helped them earn the 8-seed in the NCAA Tournament. It's the third time in program history the Pilots have earned the first-round bye and the second time under Carlin-Voigt. They advanced to the Elite Eight for the second time under Carlin-Voigt and third time since 1995.
 
The Pilots ranked as high as first in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll, their first time atop those rankings and the first time atop any poll since 1992. They were one of the best teams statistically this season, third in assists (56), fourth in assists per game (2.75), fifth in goal differential (31), sixth in win-lost-tied percentage (.800) and team goals-against average (.624), seventh in points (142) and points per game (7.05), 12^th in total goals (43) and 13^th in goals per game (2.15). Their 56 assists broke a program record set two years prior.
 
The Pilots have also had 12 players move on to play in MLS since Nick Carlin-Voigt took over as head coach in 2016. Eight players have been drafted, with Paul Christensen, Rey Ortiz, Kevin Bonilla, Jacob Babalai and Buba Fofanah all being taken in the MLS SuperDraft. Efetobo Aror and Nick Fernandez were taken in the first and second round in this year's SuperDraft as well, with Fernandez signing with the San Jose Earthquakes in February. Benji Michel and Kris Reaves each signed homegrown contracts with Orlando SC and FC Dallas respectively back in 2018 while Delentz Pierre and Brandon Cambridge each signed with Real Salt Lake and Charlotte FC in 2022 and Tommy Musto signed with LAFC in 2024. 

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