The MPS Premier Team Program aged 13-19 and the MPS Elite Team Program aged 10-12 is designed for serious and talented soccer players, focusing on the Technical , Tactical , Physical and Psychological development of individual players on a pathway towards achieving excellence in the game.. MPS strive to produce players who can compete at the highest level of College Soccer , the MLS , the USA national team and ultimately the highest level of soccer competition throughout the world.
At MPS, Player Development is the number one priority. The winning tradition MPS has established is based on each player improving significantly over the time they are with the club. The success of MPS programs is testament to the pursuit of excellence and the club’s ability to take players to a higher level of understanding of the game.
Our commitment at MPS is that under the guidance of Peter Bradley , Director of Coaching (USSF "A" License) the club continues to provide a challenging , modern and relevant coaching curriculum in order to provide players with the best coaching available in a professional, elite player environment.
All players will conduct themselves at all times in accordance with the MPS Premier Team player code of conduct and all players will be treated as equals.
MPS currently has currently 71 Premier and Elite Teams from age u10 – u20 who compete under the following monikers in the appropriate geographical territories
MPS Bulldogs - MPS Renegades (GREATER BOSTON AREA)
MPS Crusaders - MPS Lady Crusaders (SOUTH SHORE)
MPS Knights - MPS Lady Knights (NORTH SHORE)
MPS Cavaliers - MPS Lady Cavaliers (CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS)
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
Of the 71 Premier and Elite teams from age u10-u20 , there are 18 teams who have the additional “MPS Black title with their Moniker (e.g. MPS Bulldogs Black u13 ) . These teams are equally as important as their counterparts ( e.g. MPS Bulldogs u13) in that the speed of player development will naturally vary from player to player and these teams provide the additional development time and upwards progression to ensure they continue on a pathway towards achieving excellence in the game .
COLLEGE PROFILES
MPS is the most dedicated club in Massachusetts to the College process hosting an annual College Showcase event at Thanksgiving , Spring break and Memorial Weekend for all its players. The club also attends showcase tournaments such as PDA , Score at the Shore , Potomac and Disney. Players from the MPS Premier Team program have gone on to attend Harvard, Clemson, University of North Carolina, Boston College, University of Pennsylvania, Northeastern, Brown, Cornell, Providence and Williams and Amherst amongst many others. Each player has a college profile on the MPS website providing all the necessary information to assist college coaches in the recruiting process.
Premier and Elite Team Training and Competitive Calendar Overview
1. Coaching Staff
The 2011 MPS coaching staff can be seen HERE <http://www.mpsbr.com/staff/profiles/index_E.html>
- The MPS Premier Team coaching staff is of the highest quality with every head coach holding a UEFA C’ License as a minimum requirement.
- MPS Director of Coaching Peter Bradley holds his USSF "A" License.
- MPS Premier and Elite Director Phillip Mitchell holds his UEFA "A" License.
MPS pursue a modern approach to systems of play, whereby all Premier Teams will adopt a specific system of play, thereby making player progression through age groups much easier. Teams have the autonomy to adjust their systems at times based on personnel and the playing environment, but this is done in co-ordination with Director of Coaching. The club takes great pride in professional development sessions for all our coaching staff and a coach education process which will enhance their managerial skills (on and off the field) in addition to those required in the coaching arena
2. Training and Competitive Calendar
The key to development of elite soccer players is the ability for the coaching staff to have enough training sessions with the whole team so that there can be a consistent and professional approach to individual and team development. The MPS Premier Team training calendar is structured in the following way:
•Mid – August through Fall to beginning of November
From August 2012 we will hold residential pre-season camps for u10-u14 designed to prepare the players technically , tactically , physically and psychologically for the season ahead – this will include a specific focus on focused component on aerobic and anaerobic conditioning
1. Teams (u10-u14) will train twice per week from late August until beginning of November and will compete in the NEW ENGLAND PREMIERSHIP
2. MPS teams (u13-u14) will compete in the USYS National Cup (State Cup) qualifying rounds where required.
3. All teams (u10-u14) will all take part in high quality Labor Day Tournaments such as STARS Cup and BANDITS cup
4. All teams (u15-u18) will compete in the MPS Thanksgiving Showcase tournament
• Winter - December through March
1. Teams train for approx 12 weeks, skipping the February vacation week. All teams train twice a week at Premier level and once per week at Elite level- typically one session during the week and one at the weekend. All indoor sessions are where possible conducted on field turf surfaces.
2. There will be opportunities for indoor and outdoor winter league play as and when appropriate.
3. There will be opportunities for additional tournament play through the Winter as and when appropriate in events such as MLK and FSA
4. Tournament play will include the Super Y National Finals in Florida where 13 of our Premier teams have qualified (in 2011)
• Spring preseason – end of march / beginning of April
Teams will train three times a week for two weeks and focus on aerobic and anaerobic conditioning.
• Residential Camp week
All MPS Premier Teams (u13-u15) attend residential camp during spring vacation week (except Private school players). At the U16 and U17 age range, the residential camp week is in conjunction with the MPS College Showcase event.
• Spring/Summer
1. All teams train a minimum of two days a week - typically two sessions during the week and additional sessions as required at the weekend (subject to competitive calendar) . Outdoor training runs from of April until end of July.
2. All MPs Premier and Elite teams (up to u18) will compete in the NEW ENGLAND PREMIERSHIP
3. MPS teams who have qualified for the State Cup final stages will compete over two weekends in May and June.
4. MPS Premier Teams will also play in the prestigious USL Super Y-League during the spring / summer months. The USL Super Y-League www.uslsoccer.com is designed to cater to the top players in the US who aspire to play in the MLS, USL, in National Teams or abroad.
5. MPS are committed to a significant number of tournaments throughout the calendar year. The number of tournaments attended depends on the age range of the team. The U16 and U17 will attend 3-4 tournaments a year to showcase the players as much as possible. Tournaments planned for 2011-12 will include - Disney, US Club Soccer Regional , PDA, Score at the Shore, Potomac ,La Grangeville , Jefferson Cup and Vegas in addition to our own three College Showcase events and a further high class additional showcase event scheduled for the summer.
6 . Successful teams from the previous year will compete in Region 1 and sub-regional league play .
6. The MPS under 18 and under 20 teams will compete in the EWMSL and the TSL .
Goalkeepers
All MPS GK’s receive 10 GK-specific sessions during the indoor season and one session a week of the outdoor program is also devoted to GK-specific training .
Training for this unique position will include, as with all outfield players, training reflecting development that will be: Technical , Tactical, Physical and Psychological.
