The New England Revolution announced today that the team has hired Mario Prata as its new Director of Youth Development. Prata has established himself as one of the New England region's premier youth coaches and talent evaluators after a successful 12-year playing career in his native Portugal and stints on the country's various youth national teams.
In 2008, the Revolution will field boys' Under-16 and Under-18 squads, which will compete in U.S. Soccer's national Development Academy. Prata will oversee the youth development program and will work with the Revolution's technical staff to create and implement the youth teams' coaching curriculum and training systems. Further details on the Revolution's 2008 youth development program, including tryout details, will be announced later this week.
"We are delighted to bring in someone as successful and knowledgeable in youth soccer as Mario Prata," Revolution Director of Soccer Michael Burns said. "Mario has dedicated his coaching career to identifying and developing youth players in this area and has cultivated excellent relationships within the youth soccer community. He'll be a tremendous asset to our program.
"With his decorated playing background and extensive coaching experience, Mario knows what it takes to reach the highest level of competition. He understands the challenges young players face and what individual skills and abilities are needed in players to form a cohesive and successful team. I'm confident that, under Mario's leadership, we will build a comprehensive program that will promote the development of the players in our youth system," Burns continued.
Prata joins the Revolution from the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association where he has been one of the organization's full-time development coaches since 1999 and an instructional staff coach since 1997. Prata has also been a member of the U.S. Boys' Under-14 coaching staff since 2004, helping identify the nation's premier youth players. He also has extensive experience with the Massachusetts Olympic Development Program (Under-13, Under-15 teams) and Region 1 teams (Under-12 and Under-13). Prata was also an assistant coach at Worcester State College in 1998 and 1999.
A native of Portugal, Prata played on his country's Under-17 and Under-19 teams, and was a member of its Under-21 Olympic team. He played five seasons with Portuguese power Benfica SL, helping the club advance to the final of the 1983 UEFA Cup. He also played for seven seasons with SC Freamunde, GD Samora Correia and SC Almancilense.
Prata holds his U.S. Soccer Federation "A" and National Youth Licenses, as well as an NSCAA National License. He also has earned England's Football Association Youth License and has completed the Dutch Youth Course.
"I'm thrilled to be a part of the Revolution's new youth development system," Prata said. "This is an exciting time in soccer and there is a great potential for growth. I'm eager to get started and I'm looking forward to making this program one of the best in the nation. Our aim will to be develop the best players possible with the goal of one day sending players directly to the Revolution's senior roster."
Under Major League's Soccer's "Homegrown Protected List," the Revolution will be able to protect up to three players per year who have played with the club's youth teams. Should those protected players sign with MLS, they would not go through the MLS SuperDraft but would be placed directly on the New England Revolution roster. Through the structure of MLS' youth development program, players' amateur status will be preserved and they will not jeopardize their collegiate eligibility by playing for the Revs' youth teams.
Tryouts for the Revolution's Under-16 and Under-18 teams will be held in June at Gillette Stadium. More information will be released later this week. Visit RevolutionSoccer.net for the latest updates on the Revolution's youth development system.
