Canada Soccer’s Men’s EXCEL Program has launched a pilot project to support player development within Major League Soccer (MLS) Canadian academies. The new program will allow Canada Soccer to share tactical ID and team culture concepts while also assessing player development for future EXCEL activity as players progress to the Men’s National Team.
The 2018 pilot project operates within the Vancouver Whitecaps FC Academy’s with their U-15 and U-17 teams. Canada Soccer hopes to expand the program in 2019 with two visits per year within each of the three MLS Canadian academies in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montréal.
Canada Soccer and Vancouver Whitecaps FC technical staff worked in collaboration to plan and deliver the pilot project in September.
The seven-day pilot project was led by Canada Soccer’s Men’s EXCEL U-20 Program Director Andrew Olivieri and Men’s EXCEL U-15 Program Director Joey Lombardi. Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team Head Coach & Men’s National EXCEL Director John Herdman as well as U-23 Program Director Mauro Biello were also in attendance during the pilot project in Vancouver.
Canada Soccer’s Men’s EXCEL Program channels our nation’s exceptional players into the best soccer environments. The Canada Soccer Pathway works in collaboration with our provincial and territory partners as well as the professional clubs and academies. For Canada’s elite players, the program emphasizes player development on the pathway to representing Canada’s Men’s National Team in international soccer.
