GPS Technical Department Magazine Edition 2

CHECK OUT THE LATEST NEWS ON THE OFFICIAL PARTNERSHIP WITH FC BAYERN MUNICH

OFFICIAL NORTH AMERICAN PARTNER

TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT MAGAZINE EDITION #2

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NOVEMBER 2015

IN THIS EDITION SOCCER ASSASSINS IN SEATTLE GPS NEWS THE HABIT OF GOALSCORING MASTER THE PASS GOALKEEPING - HANDLING GPS RHODE ISLAND AND MUCH MUCH MORE.........

CONTENTS THIS ISSUE GPS TECHNICAL DEPARTMENT Welcome to GPS .3 Player Development .4

SOCCER ASSASSINS Who are the Assassins?

Meet the Assassins

GPS News .5 GPS News .6 Technical Zone .7 Tactical Zone .8 Physical Zone .9 Psychological Zone .10 Goalkeeping Zone .11

GPS AT HIGH SCHOOL High School News .17 .18 COLLEGE & ALUMNI GPS Alumni News .19 GPS College Commitments .20

.12 Coaching Zone .13

FRANCHISE SPOTLIGHT GPS Rhode Island

Parent Zone

FC BAYERN PARTNERSHIP Partnership News

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WELCOME TO GPS THE MISSION OF GLOBAL PREMIER SOCCER IS TO ENHANCE THE SOCCER EXPERIENCE FOR PLAYERS AND COACHES WITHIN THE CLUB

WE PROVIDE OUR PLAYERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP AS ATHLETES AND AS PEOPLE BY FOSTERING AN IDENTITY OF EXCELLENCE

GPS STYLE OF PLAY The 7 traits that all GPS teams should exhibit:

CONFIDENT

GPS teams are made up of confident players. This confidence comes from self belief, hard work, repetition and team camaraderie, all instilled in a positive coaching environment.

GAME INTELLIGENT

GPS teams are intelligent. Players are students of the game and are able to make adjustments based on what they see on the field.

POSSESSION-BASED

GPS teams play an indirect style of soccer but have an awareness of the most appropriate penetrating pass.

BUILD FROM THE BACK

GPS teams always look to build attacks from the back as opposed to playing kick and run soccer.

WE STRIVE TO DEVELOP PLAYERS WHO CAN COMPETE AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF SOCCER THROUGHOUT THE WORLD

ATTACK-MINDED

GPS teams play the game with flair and creativity.

DEFENSIVE ORGANIZATION

GPS teams understand how and when to apply pressure in order to regain possession of the ball.

PHYSICALITY

GPS teams excel in the physical element of the game - exhibiting pace and power. GPS teams are hard working, strong in the tackle and always play within the laws of the game.

GLOBAL PREMIER SOCCER

Massachusetts Premier Soccer (MPS) was founded in 2001 by Peter and Joseph Bradley with a mission to provide a new player development model for players in Massachusetts. Now Global Premier Soccer (GPS) has a vertically integrated pyramid structure that takes a player from 3 years of age through to 23.

The success GPS has had is based on our ability to improve all our players technically, tactically, physically and psychologically. GPS’s commitment to its players is to provide them with the best coaching available in a professional and elite environment.

All GPS teams should be immediately identifiable from the way that they play the game.

There are 7 components that build up the GPS Style of Play – these are illustrated in the above image. and supporting video. Click on the image to view the GPS Style of play video

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PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

Our Player Development Pathway provides a clear, structured growth model for each GPS player from the age of 3 through to 18 years old.

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GPS NEWS GPS NH GETS NEW HOME

GPS IN Connecticut

Global Premier Soccer (GPS) and GPS-New Hampshire are delighted to announce the development of two artificial turf lighted fields in Bedford, New Hampshire which will be ready for the beginning of the 2015/16 season.

Madison Youth Soccer Club (Madison, CT) and Global Premier Soccer are pleased to announce an exciting partnership to begin this fall. This partnership will see the immediate introduction of professional coaches who will aim to provide support for Madison Youth Soccer Club (MYSC) players, coaches and parents on and off the pitch.

The new complex will serve as the home of the GPS-NH Premier and Junior Premier programs as well as the Bedford Recreation program run

by GPS-NH’s professional coaching staff.

Teams will be able to train year round on the new surface and the fall and spring seasons will be able to run longer and start earlier, respectively, due to the addition of lights.

“We are extremely excited about the development of the new complex and the impact this will have on player development”, said GPS-NH General Manager Lenny Webb.

“Contact time will increase and the quality of the surface will provide a perfect platform for developing technical players at the youngest ages, beginning with our recreation program”.

The partnership will provide support to MYSC and enrich their player and coach education programming. GPS will have three coaching staff working full-time throughout the fall to support all levels of soccer within the MYSC program, and along with MYSC DOC Geoff Wheeler, are looking forward to helping create a positive and fun environment for all players within the program.

"Madison Youth Soccer is excited to welcome Global Premier Soccer to our community,” said Geoff Wheeler. “We look forward to the quality trainers, the fantastic curriculum and the depth of support they can offer our town program. I know that not only will all of our players benefit from the trainers' expertise, our coaches will also develop from the continuing education they offer. We are delighted to pair our enthusiasm and passion with a professional organization who will enhance our efforts to provide a first-rate experience for every MYSC participant," added Wheeler

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GPS INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY GPS, are pleased to announce the development of the GPS International Academy based in London, UK and launching in fall 2016.

The Academy is targeted towards male players who are seeking to make a career in the game or those looking for an additional year of intensive training prior to attending college with 24 spots available for the first induction class. The Academy will provide a unique opportunity for attendees to stay in the capital, train full time in a professional environment under the guidance of UEFA A/B qualified coaches and compete in competitive fixtures on a weekly basis.

The International Academy attendees will be exposed to professional scouts through regular exhibition games against professional academies and of trial events throughout the UK and Europe.

The players will also have the opportunity to attend regular professional fixtures at any of London’s six EPL teams throughout the season.

There will also be the option for those players outside the US looking to progress in the collegiate game through GPS partner company Soccer Chance USA (SCUSA) who provide soccer scholarships to US Universities. GPS and SCUSA signed an extensive partnership earlier this year which includes SCUSA staff attending GPS tournaments and specific showcases for SCUSA players in the US. In addition to the soccer component, the Academy players will also be enrolled on to a BTEC Level 3 in sport and performance and gain coaching qualifications from the English Football Association.

For more information on the GPS International Academy please see the full brochure here or contact Phillip Mitchell at pmitchell@globalpremiersoccer. com or Ben Hanley at bhanley@globalpremiersoccer.com. The application for interested players is March 1st 2016.

CLICK THE ABOVE IMAGE TO VIEW THE WEB SITE The GPS International Academy will be based in North West London at the state of the art Hive Training Center. The Hive is an international football training venue containing located in the shadow of the iconic Wembley Stadium with four full-size grass pitches and two full-size 3G pitches.

The venue has recently hosted the Brazilian and German National teams prior to International fixtures.

“We are delighted to announce the launch of the GPS International Academy,” said Phillip Mitchell, Academy Coordinator. “We believe this to be an outstanding opportunity for aspiring players to further their soccer careers and enjoy living in one of the most iconic cities in the World,” said Mitchell.

GPS GOAL OF THE MONTH - SEPTEMBER

CLICK THE VIDEO AND VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE 6

TECHNICAL ZONE FOCUS: PASSING Mastering the PASS

Because passing involves giving the ball to a teammate, it is important that players are taught to know where their teammates are by constantly looking. A second vital ingredient is verbal communication, or talking. Coaches should teach players to provide intelligent verbal cues to help with decision-making in passing.

BACK TO BASICS After selecting a pass, EYES watch the ball onto your foot

ARMS assist balance and momentum

PASSING

HIPS are open and facing your target

The technical elements of passing vary based on the kind of pass being made. The key elements of any pass (both short and long) are shown in the diagram to the right and video below.

There are a number of different types of pass: Push Pass - This pass is used for short distance passing with inside ir outside of the foot.

Driven Pass - Using the laces, the ball is driven hard and low to get the ball over a longer distance along the floor.

Chipped Pass - Used to cover a long distance and get the ball over players.

Curved Pass - Using the inside of the foot to strike the outside of the ball this pass is used to get the ball around players.

CONNECT with the ball using the inside of your foot.

KEEP your ankle locked.

FOLLOW through after striking the ball to generate power.

STANDING foot is planted in line with the ball.

BIG toe points in the direction of the pass.

KNEE is slightly bent to promote balance.

GLOBAL PREMIER SOCCER

Reverse Pass - This pass is played without looking at the intended target and disguising all signals as to where you are playing the pass.

Click on the image to the left to watch the passing technique broken down into key coaching points.

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TACTICAL ZONE FOCUS: INVERTED FULL BACKS

INVERTED FULL BACKS. Positioning in modern football is a massive part of the success of a team, particularly in the development of an attacking game but also in ball conservation to defend, while defensive positioning has always been an important factor in a successful defensive unit. Tactical innovations are changing the way the game is played and coached across all levels. Inverted Full Backs to overload the center and cover several zones with one player.

Full backs are even moving away from vertical lines and more to diagonal lines. What do we mean? Let’s look at Bayern and Guardiola. In players like Lahm, Rafinha and Alaba not only playing and moving wide and high but now moving into midfield areas to exploit space centrally. As midfielders move out, behind or forward these players exploit this space. It is so difficult to mark or track that they find spaces between units which can punish teams. Bayern and ultimately Guardiola have taken football to a new level in terms of positional fluidity.

The way we view the full back must change, and Guardiola’s creative brain is showing ways to make this possible. It is not about being a full back, or winger, the future game simply requires players who can exploit the space the opposition provides. They need to have the technical ability to play wide and central, in 1v1 situations and in congested areas. Movement and positional rotation is becoming necessary to exploit smarter defenses. Vertical lines, or even horizontal ones are too rigid, the game is becoming diagonal and Bayern are showing how effective that can be.

This diagram shows how full backs can exploit spaces in midfield when their team is in possession. #4 & #5 split wide towards apex of the penalty area. #6 drops into the space left by the center backs #2 & #3 move central into the half spaces. #8 & #10 moves away to create space and angles and open a passing lane into #9. #7 & #11 move high and wide.

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PHYSICAL ZONE FOCUS: CONCUSSION AWARENESS

A concussion is a traumatic injury that alters the way your brain functions. Effects are usually temporary but can

include headaches and problems with concentration, memory, balance and coordination.

Concussions are common, particularly if you play a contact sport, such as soccer. This injury needs time and rest to heal. Most concussive traumatic brain injuries are mild, and people usually recover fully.

Physical Feeling tired Having no energy Sensitivity to noise or light Headache

Nausea or vomiting Balance problems Dizziness Fuzzy or Blurry

Sleep Disturbance Sleeping more than usual Sleeping less than usual Trouble falling asleep

Prevention Education and good technique are the best elements to decrease the number of concussions.

How to approach to the ball in terms of space-time calculation, how the body shape should be at the header and how to use the body on 1 vs 1 situations are tasks worked by our GPS coaches.

Main causes of concussion Soccer Head to head Elbow impacts Neck Injuries Lateral Hand Strikes 10% 50% 100%

S Y M P T O M S

Thinking/Memory Difficulty thinking Difficulty concentrating clearly Difficulty remembering Feeling lethargic new information

Emotions/Mood Irritability Sadness More Emotional Nervousness or anxiety

Progression after concussion 1- No physical activity; Complete physical and cognitive test.

2- Light aerobic activity.

3- Moderate aerobic activity. Light resistance training.

4- Non-contact soccer drills.

5- Limited contact soccer drills.

6- Full practice after medical clearance.

7- Return to play

To take the test on concussion awareness that GPS staff complete and improve your understanding of concussions in sport please follow the below link.

Once completed you will get a certificate to show you completed the test.

Take the test here

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PSYCHOLOGICAL ZONE FOCUS: THE HABIT OF GOALSCORING Goal Scoring - Can it become a habit?

FC Bayern Munich and Polish International Superstar Robert Lewandowski caught the Worlds attention this month as he scored a record 5 goals in 9 minutes in FC Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga clash with VFL Wolfsburg.

Lewandowski came off the bench at half time and proceeded to score 5 times between the 51st and 60th minutes to turn the game from 0-1 down to 5-1 up and blow Wolfsburg away.

This level of striking proficiency is of great intrigue to Sport Psychologist, as Lewandowski displays what expert level players can achieve as a result of forming habits.

Habits in Sport A habit can be defined as ‘a desired behavior and response that is executed automatically based on previous experience and exposure to a similar or same stimulus’. Put simply, what that means is that Lewandowski is such an expert in the field of goal scoring, that he automatically know what finish to apply in any situation due to the amount of times he has been there before.

Practice Makes Permanent Coaches will use the famous old phrase of ‘Practice makes perfect’. This in Psychological terms is actually incorrect! The correct and more accurate phrase is ‘Practice makes Permanent’. Practicing a skill over and over again reinforces what response you should execute in every possible situation. Robert Lewandowski spends hours a week on finishing from different angles and distances with both feet and all surfaces of those feet. He rehearses every goal scoring opportunity he might get on game day - that way when his chances come he is in the best possible shape to score!

For GPS Players: Practice, practice, practice! The more you expose yourself to game relevant situations, the more appropriate and correct responses you will learn to call upon on game day!

Lewandowski scored more league goals in nine minutes than...

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Liverpool and West Brom have this season Six of Bayern's Bundesliga rivals have managed

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Anyone in the bottom half of La Liga

 

Seven Serie A sides

Wayne Rooney has in 2015

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GOALKEEPING ZONE FOCUS: HANDLING TECHNIQUES What are handling techniques?

There are various different techniques that can be used by goalkeepers to catch the ball. Opinions differ on which technique is the “best” as they all have their benefits! The “best” handling technique is the one that works for you!

What is the “DIAMOND CATCH?” The diamond catch is called such due to the diamond shape created by your fingers due to the positioning of the hands when making the catch. The diamond catch is a handling technique that is used to catch the ball at around chest/head height. The catch itself is very easy to use and is often preferred by goalkeepers over the rival “W” catch.

Both of these catches have their benefits – at GPS we prefer the diamond catch… Here’s why!

Why the diamond catch?

1. The diamond catch for a lot of goalkeepers feels more natural when catching the ball.

2. Using the diamond catch enables the goalkeepers to catch “above the center” of the ball. A common trend with the W catch is to catch “under the ball” which results in the shot going over the goalkeeper’s head and into the goal!

3. By using the diamond catch, we are covering a larger surface area on the ball. We can cover the “key” areas with relative ease (the sides, and back!)

How do we do it?

The diamond catch is easy to use – as with anything it may feel awkward the first few times however once your brain has got it, you will be catching the ball successfully!

1. Set Position 2. Catch the ball “above the center.” If we are going to drop the ball we want to drop it forwards. If we are “under the center” the ball will go upwards and into the goal!

3. Fingers should not be touching – index fingers are closer together than your thumbs, just like in the picture!

4. The rest of fingers spread around the side of the ball, with the thumbs gripping the lower part of the ball.

5. The catch should be made in front of our body, away from our face – but with slightly bent arms! This means we can catch with “soft hands!”

6. When we make the catch, we must have two barriers behind the ball – the first is our hands, the second is our body or face!

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PARENT ZONE

FOCUS: BEGINNERS GUIDE TO BEING A SOCCER PARENT New to the world of club soccer? Never fear! Follow the GPS guide to being a soccer parent and you will take to it like a duck to water.

PLANNER You will need to plan your life out. Being organized and knowing when & where practice and games are plus which car pool you are in and who’s kids you are picking up will be vital information to know.

CHAIR Being a soccer parent one of the best things you can by is a comfortable lawn chair. You will find this chair being your new best friend and it will save your legs a lot of aches and pains. Also it will prevent you from running up and down the sideline kicking every ball.

DUNKIN Drop the players off at the game and go and find the nearest Dunkin to the field for your game day coffee. Be sure to find the nearest Dunkin to the teams practice location.

BLANKET It can get cold at times when watching games so a nice big, warm blanket is a vital piece of kit for a soccer parent.

SMART PHONE All soccer parents need a smart phone. Not only to take pictures and action video’s of your child’s big moment but to also get last minute updates on field changes, time changes, game cancellation via e-mail or first touch.

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COACHING ZONE FOCUS: PASSING

Players need to master the ball at an early age. The first skill, dribbling, involves using all parts of the foot, combined with body swerves, to maneuver the ball to beat an opponent. It is an important skill for developing flair and creativity as well as confidence on the ball.

Here at GPS we run regular Professional Development sessions for our staff to maintain a high level of coaching throughout the club, keep all coaches aligned with the GPS philosophy and to share and discuss new ideas about developing our players.

This session was focused around a passing. This session can be adapted for any age group. and can be doubled to deal with a large group.

Click on the image to watch the video.

The Technical department produces a developmental curriculum for its coaches and also many of the town partners we work with. This is an example of a session used as part of a developmental curriculum.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SESSION PLAN FOR THE ABOVE VIDEO

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FC BAYERN MUNICH GLOBAL PREMIER SOCCER

PARTNERSHIP NEWS

Global Premier Soccer, as part of the partnership with FC Bayern hold monthly conference calls with FC Bayern coaching staff to discuss all things soccer and find out how one of the best youth academies in world soccer coach and educate their players to become world stars.

The GPS FC Bayern National Teams are selected from the top players at each age group from each state that GPS operates in. These players practice as a pool of players in the North and South. The North region is made up of MA, RI, NY, NH, VT & ME and the south is NC, SC, GA & FL.

In November GPS will be flying staff out to Munich to visit FC Bayern academy facility. The GPS staff will get the opportunity to meet and interact with FC Bayern staff, tour the academy facility, watch academy games and attend a FC Bayern first team game.

Sebastian Dremmler (FC Bayern u15 head coach) discusses how FC Bayern operate, educate players and parents and openly discuss the philosophy the club adopts to produce some of the worlds best players.

From these player pools teams are selected to compete in showcase events across the country and around the world.

This visit will give an insight to GPS staff as to the day to day life of a professional academy player, coach and the how a professional soccer academy is run in Europe.

Each monthly call is based around a specific topic to which all GPS staff can listen in and ask questions.

Please click the below link to listen to the discussion between GPS staff and Sebastian Dremmler of FC Bayern Munich on the emphasis of development versus winning in the academy.

The 2002, 2003 & 2004 boys and girls will be competing in CASL showcase in November in Carolina.

In 2016 we have the 2002 boys going to Barcelona to compete in the Mediterranean International Cup. The 2003 girls will be competing in the Gothia Cup in Sweden and the 2001 boys will returning to the Northern Ireland Supercup (formerly known as the Dale farm Milk Cup).

GPS Director of Coaching Peter Bradley explains “This trip will be a great learning experience for our staff. To see academy coaches educating the young players in the day to day environment will be a great insight into professional youth soccer for our coaches. They will get to see the level of the FC Bayern Academy players and how they compare to the top players in GPS�.

Check out the video of Day 2 here

Listen Here

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GPS Soccer Assassins SOCCER ASSASSINS IN SEATTLE Instagram’s latest soccer must-follow, the GPS Soccer Assassins (Danny Gildea and Joe Smith), traveled to the West Coast this past weekend to compete in a Charity Event organized ex-Seattle Sounder Steve Zakuani in an event to raise money for his charity and foundation Kingdom Hope. (www.kingdom-hope.org).

“The Kingdom Hope Zakuani and friends charity match was a fantastic occasion and it was an honor to be asked to participate,” said Joe Smith. “It was great for Soccer Assassins to work with some Seattle Sounders male and female players and raise the profile of the program.”

Whilst in the The Emerald City, the Assassins did some juggles and free style and Swedish international Erik Friberg and met Sounders Head Coach Sigi Schmidt. The boys also ran a 1on1 session with Alexa Diaz of Seattle Sounders Women and the Phillipines National Team.

Over 800 fans including current Sounders forward Obafemi Martins, were in attendance at the Starfire Complex, the training ground of the MLS side, to see a game featuring former Liverpool defender Djimi Traoré, ex-US Internationals Eddie Johnson and Marcus Hahnemann and current Seattle Reign player Kendall Fletcher. Joe Smith a former teammate of Zakuani featured for the Zakuani and Friends team coached by current Seattle Reign Head Coach Laura Harvey, the current NWSL Coach of the Year.

The GPS Soccer Assassins are Technical Skills Specialists who believe creativity is at the heart of player development with the focus on providing expression and imagination in youth players. Launched this summer, the Soccer Assassins have over 13,000 followers on Instagram and will be offering 1on1 and small group sessions for players in Massachusetts in November. To register interest please contact Danny Gildea at: dgildea@globalpremiersoccer.com or call the Soccer Assassins hotline 781-385-0206.Follow them on: INSTAGRAM @gps_soccerassassins

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WE COACH YOUR COACH

SOCCER ASSASSINS LEAD GPS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT The Soccer Assassins took their technical expertise and put it to the test on Monday morning leading the GPS staff in the latest session of their Professional Development series. The picture (left) shows the Soccer Assassins methodology and what they try and get out of each player they work with.

Educating the staff how to execute the technical skills required could have been the Assassins toughest task to date!

Coach Danny Gildea’s session focused on the technical skill base and individual ball work from each player. Coach Joe Smith’s session was more game related and how to bring out the creativity in your players in a game setting.

“We are technical skill specialists and we believe creativity is at the heart of our program. Having both been victims of a robotic and blood and thunder academy system we are keen to promote expression and imagination in young players in all areas of the pitch. We believe young players can practice anywhere as we demonstrate in all of our videos.”

See the session by clicking the image below.

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GPS AT HIGH SCHOOL

With the High School Season in full swing there is plenty of GPS representation across the country with GPS players playing for their high school or GPS coaches being employed by schools as the head coach.

Below is an update on the season so far for some of our coaches and players involved.

Craig Fannan (GPS Maine) Which High School do you coach?

Cape Elizabeth Varsity Girls What is your target for the rest of the season?

Won back to back Regional Titles, 1 State Title.

Current goal is to win States again. Currently sitting second with 1 game to play. Should have a chance at winning the whole thing.

What is the long term plan for your program?

With coaches working in the Youth Soccer Program and a strong working relationship with the Recreation Program we hope that Cape Elizabeth will be a strong contender in future seasons.

Adrian Salguero (GPS MA) Which High School do you coach?

Leominster HS, (Varsity Girls) How is the season so far?

Is going well. As a team we have play some really nice possession soccer, with a really talented group of players.

What is your target for the rest of the season?

Continue to work and implement a philosophy improve each year with the current players and players who come over next seasons.

What is the long term plan for your program?

Build the relationship between the school and the grassroots program within the town to develop the HS players of the future.

McKenzie Scott (GPS-NJ) Which High School/College do you coach?

Holy Spirit High School (Varsity Boys) located in Absecon, NJ How is the season so far?

This season has been a tough one so far. Our team is very young and it has been hard to get the results that we would have liked to during the year.

However, we have learned a lot this year and we look to improve going into next season.

What is your target for the rest of the season?

With the season coming to the end, I am looking for the boys use extra motivation they had during preseason and finish the year with positive results.

What is the long term plan for your program?

My goal is to create an enjoyable, yet challenging program that will prepare players for their future ambitions after high school.

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Kurtis Millan (GPS MA) Which High School do you coach?

Natick High School (Boys Varsity) How is the season so far?

Season has been a slow start. After moderate success in the last 2 seasons, it was widely felt that this group of players have a long way to go to achieve the same level of results. In what is my first season in charge of a High School team, the hardest challenge has been growing accustomed to the style of soccer played, whilst refuting it, and staying true to my believe of playing soccer the correct way. Trying play to the correct way at all times, we have had some good results Vs the top teams in the division.

What is your target for the rest of the season?

With only a few games left, we plan to finish the season strongly. We will plan for the future, and offer more experience to some of the Freshmen and Sophomores.

What is the long term plan for your program?

The long term plan for the program at Natick High school is to diminish ourselves from being referred to as a team that plays the ‘high school way’. We see a strong core of players coming through the Natick town soccer program at 7th & 8th grade, and believe that working closely with this program, we can prepare our players better for the style of soccer which will bring success at the top level, and further down the line, collegiate soccer.

Chris Coleman (GPS Maine) Which High School do you coach?

Sanford Varsity Girls How is the season so far?

Sanford finished the season in third position on 10-2-2 and made it into the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. The team finished on 4-9-1 last year. We have a real chance of winning States this year after a fantastic season.

What is the long term plan for your program?

With the coaches Sanford Soccer Association has and the positive way they are developing their players, Sanford has a strong program leading into the High School program for future years.

Aaron Salter (GPS MA) Which High School do you coach?

Stoughton High School (Varsity Boys) How is the season so far?

The season has been good so far we have done very well and are currently 2 wins away from making the tournament. We have had some very good results and have finally ended some long term losing streaks against King Phillips (4 years), Attleboro (4 years)and Franklin (6 years) What is your target for the rest of the season?

To qualify for the tournament. The school made the tournament for the first time last year and our plan is to continue that trend and try to progress further each time.

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GPS AT COLLEGE WOMENS SOCCER Williams 2-0 Tufts Kristi Kirsche (GPS MA) led the game with 6 shots on goal. Kirsche went on to assist teammate Kristina Alvarado for Williams first goal. Alexa Pius (GPS VT) played the whole game for Tufts and if it wasn’t for an impressive cut out by Pius, Kirshe would have scored a third for Williams.

Southern New Hampshire 3 v 1 Franklin Pierce A late Ravens goal by former GPS MA coach Amber Dempster was not enough to overcome Southern New Hampshire University. Nerida Montrond, Meghan Murphy, Alexa Poulin (GPS MA) all played for Southern New Hampshire whilst Nicole Chaet started for Franklin Pierce. This was a special game for GPS MA Coach Alex MacPherson who has been involved with all four of these players during their time at GPS Massachusetts. See below the reunion picture for these girls and Alex at the end of the game.

Babson 1-2 MIT This defeat was the first in conference play and scrapped Babson’s six game winning streak and its eight games run without a loss. Marissa Endow and Jennifer Narlee (GPS MA) both started in this game for Babson.

Wesleyan 0-2 Amherst A pair of goals helped lift Amherst over their Little Three rival Wesleyan on Saturday. Maeve McNamara (GPS MA) provided an assist for teammate Emily Hester to convert. Hannah Guzzi (GPS MA) was also on the field for Amherst.

MENS SOCCER Dartmouth 2-1 Columbia Dartmouth Men’s Soccer remains undefeated in Ivy League play following this victory. The Big Green improves to an 8-3-1 overall record this season. GPS Maine alumni Wyatt Omsberg (see pictured) started and has played in every game for Dartmouth this season.

Kenyon 2-0 Allegheny Oliver Wynn (GPS MA) started his 13th game of the season in his sophomore season at Kenyon who are 13-1-0 for the season. The Lords have two conference games left and are likely to make the NCAC playoff tournament.

St Michaels 3-2 Bentley Thomas Antensaye (GPS VT) scored St Michaels second goal of the game and assisted the game winner with less than 5 minutes left to play. Jack Loud and Tino Tomasi (GPS VT) also featured in this impressive win for St Michaels. Antensaye was chosen for the latest Northeast-10 Conference Weekly Honor Roll. Watch the video below to view his goal this week: Goal of the week Duke 1-0 Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Men’s Soccer suffered a tough 1-0 loss to the Blue Devils on Friday night. Matt Bischoff (GPS NY) started in this game for Pittsburgh who are now 5-8-3 for the season.

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GPS COLLEGE COMMITMENTS PLAYER PROFILE: KRISTIN GAY Age: 17 High School: Belmont High School, Belmont MA Position: Defensive midfielder (GPS) and center forward (High School)

Hobbies: Soccer, Rugby, working out, skiing, train my dogs, Athletes I Most Admire: Suarez, Bruce/ Kaitlin Jenner, Michael Phelps, Tom Brady, Michael Jordan Biggest Sports Thrill: Tackling or hitting someone

GPS Team: U17 GPS NPL Elite School you have committed to: Southern Connecticut State University Academic Major: Communications with a minor in graphic Design

People with the Greatest Influence on my Athletic Career: GPS Coaches Alex MacPherson and James Hamblin and my mom Greatest Achievement: Being named captain of my high school soccer team

How did GPS assist your college process: The College Counseling program was a big help. My meeting with the College counselor jump started everything and was crucial to helping me get organized and prepared me for meetings with coaches.

All of the GPS templates for resumes and letters to coaches were very useful as well, without them I would not have had any clue where to start. The biggest help came from my GPS coaches, both past and present. The thing I love most about GPS is the relationships the coaches build with their players both on and off the field; they know us as players and people. I have so much respect and appreciation for every coach I ever had at GPS. Through the process they were able to give me an honest evaluation about where they thought I fit in the whole scheme of the NCAA, which narrowed down my prospective schools. Most of all they just kept encouraging me, which helped me stay positive through the entire process. It is stressful waiting to hear from the school or schools that you really want to be at and their support help to alleviate some of that stress. I am so grateful to them.

Advice you would give players going through the same process: Start thinking about schools you like early and connect with them either by email or yourself on their prospects roster. Attend their ID clinics before your Junior year, this way the coaches can see you play, may be more likely to come see you play at tournaments and track your progress before they begin recruiting for your year. Keep sending any coaches you are interested in your schedule updates. The more they think you are interested in their program the more chances you have of them becoming interested in you. When you go to ID clinics remember it is not just about your skills, there are a lot of highly skilled players at these clinics, it is more about you as a person and your fitness. You will stand out at these clinics if you are outgoing with the staff, ask questions, demonstrate versatility and most importantly show sportsmanship to the other players in attendance.

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FRANCHISE SPOTLIGHT :GPS RHODE ISLAND

With over 100% more teams since the Spring, it has been a fantastic couple of months in the Ocean State for Global Premier Soccer, Rhode Island.

Taking our number of teams up to 21 was a really proud moment for the club, while we have also added two new members of staff over the summer in Jordan Sullivan and Simon Mounsdon, to add to existing staff, GM Johan Forslof, Ashley Larkin and Nigel Naughton. Both Jordan and Simon hail from England, with Jordan from London and Simon from Somerset. Jordan spent over six years both playing and coaching with Queens Park Rangers, while Simon received a scholarship to play college soccer for four years in upstate New York. Both have been excellent additions to the club, and are really enjoying their time in the beautiful state.

Our partnership with leading Rhode Island Superliga club South County Youth Soccer Club has also enhanced, and has seen five elite teams from the club join GPS and play in the New England Premiership. Two U9 teams and two U10 teams are really developing and enjoying their time in the NEP, while the U11’s, coached by Brian Bradley and Steve Froberg have won all six of their games to date in the Premiership White bracket.

The majority of our South teams made the trip North to New Hampshire to play in the Nashua Columbus Day Tournament. Not only did half of South Rhode Island take over The Hampton Inn in Nashua, but the teams had great success too. Brian and Steve’s BU11 South Elite team won the highest bracket, while the BU12 South Premier team also won the highest bracket. To add to the success, Nigel Naughton’s GU12 team were also victorious in the highest bracket, with a win in the Rhode Island derby in the final against Bayside FC Strikers. Ashley Larkin’s BU12 North Elite team came home from the GPS Labour Day Tournament having won their bracket, defeating GPS North Shore in a tight final.

Overall, the club is going from strength to strength in both the North and South regions. The addition of new staff, taking the total to 5 full time, professional staff, has allowed us add new and exciting features to an already strong program. Our players now have the opportunity to avail of Speed, Agility and Quickness (SAQ) sessions with Higher Level, specialists in soccer specific SAQ. We have also launched the new website, added a ‘Game of the Week’ every week, moved into a new office in the state capital, Providence, and all in all, continued to build and enhance the name and reputation of Global Premier Soccer in Rhode Island.

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