NEW YORK — The 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star Game will get a jolt of brainpower this summer.
On Tuesday, Major League Soccer and adidas announced that the feature match on July 25 at the Philadelphia Union’s PPL Park will be the world’s first “smart soccer match.” The match will showcase adidas’s new team tracking system: micoach.
“Adidas has always been known as a pioneer, an innovator and an industry-leader when it comes to the sport of soccer,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “It is an honor that they have chosen to debut their new game-changing and revolutionary technology at this year’s AT&T MLS All-Star Game in Philadelphia. We believe our All-Star Game will serve as the perfect opportunity to introduce the new micoach professional soccer team tracking system.”
The micoach professional soccer team tracking system provides coaches with “real-time performance metrics,” including player position, power output, speed, distance covered, intensity of play, acceleration and GPS heat mapping. It can then all be outputted and displayed on a mobile tablet or computer over a WiFi network.
And it is not only for coaches and players to assess their performance. There are numerous consumer applications. MLSsoccer.com is currently developing several digital products to incorporate the micoach data and bring fans closer the game than ever before.
The micoach system is the next step in adidas’s suite of performance-tracking products, which includes the recently launched adizero f50 micoach cleat.
"We are finding ways to use these innovations to create more immersive sporting environments and experiences that will revolutionize the way we view sports and engage and excite fans," said Patrik Nilsson, president of adidas America. “The new micoach team tracking system combines state-of-the-art technology with real-time analysis, bringing the game the most significant advancement in soccer coaching in the modern era. MLS understands digital innovation is the future of team sports and we are proud to make the MLS All-Star Game the world's first smart competition."
