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Major League Soccer and US Youth Soccer Enter Groundbreaking Strategic Partnership in a Milestone Moment for Domestic Player Development

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Frisco, TX – May 15, 2020 (PRNewswire) US Youth Soccer (USYS) is pleased to announce that it has agreed to a strategic partnership with Major League Soccer (MLS) in a groundbreaking alliance bolstering player development in the United States.

USYS is the largest youth sport organization in the country and has been a leader in the development of youth soccer for decades. With nearly 3 million registered players nationwide, USYS offers an unmatched range of soccer programming, resources, and leadership. Since launching the MLS club academy initiative in 2007, Major League Soccer has demonstrated unprecedented commitment to the development of top-level professional players in the United States and Canada, including an investment of more than $70 million last season alone. This investment has produced more than 250 homegrown players that have become professional and national team players.

The MLS club academy coaches have the highest international licensing in the country and MLS continually introduces innovative ways to train and develop both coaches and players. From grassroots to competitive, USYS and MLS collaboration efforts will provide unique player opportunities, build a lifelong love for the game, and allow all players to find their path through the sport of soccer. With an ability to reach into every community in the country, the shared USYS and MLS goals will focus on:

  • Improving U.S. domestic youth player identification and selection processes
  • Building a more integrated pathway to advanced opportunities for both boys and girls
  • Creating a more inclusive and accessible pathway for a more diverse player pool
  • Reducing pay-to-play barriers and other access challenges for elite players
  • Expanding MLS outreach and opportunities through an expansive network of coaches and scouts
  • Building multi-tiered relationships that strengthen the U.S. talent pool
  • Supporting the MLS nationwide through player, club, & fan engagement designed to drive growth, participation and generations of new fans

USYS also looks forward to collaborating with the new MLS elite youth competition platform which will include more than 8,000 players throughout the U.S. and Canada and will consist of elite year-round competition, as well as player identification initiatives, coaching education opportunities, and additional programming to create the premier player development environment.

“We are very proud that USYS and its 55 member States Associations have decided to make MLS their league of choice,” said Gordon Bengtson, Senior Director of Player Development. “The State Associations are a crucial component to creating more meaningful connections to the professional levels while supporting the overall growth of the game. This is particularly important in communities that have not historically had access to elite development environments or professional pathways. This is a first step towards our goal of making the size and diversity of our country, our biggest strength.”

“This is not a short-term vision, but rather one in which we realize the opportunity to truly connect the whole system of soccer in our country. For too long the professional and youth systems have been working relatively independent of each other and with this MLS partnership, we start down the path of true collaboration. This will not only expand resources to grow the game at the grassroots level, but also reveal to players and families that there is a clear pathway to any level of soccer they want to achieve,” said US Youth Soccer CEO Skip Gilbert.

“We are excited to partner with Major League Soccer on this truly national initiative. By combining our resources and expertise, we have created a unified pathway that helps all youth soccer players reach their true potential. We are thankful to everyone at MLS and US Youth Soccer who made this possible, including MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Gordon Bengtson, Fred Lipka, the USYS Organizational Growth Committee and our friends at Collective Global. We look forward to working with MLS to transform the American soccer landscape,” said Dr. Peter Zopfi, Chairman, US Youth Soccer.

About the United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer)
US Youth Soccer, the largest youth sport organization in the country, is on a mission to make soccer the preeminent youth sport in the country. US Youth Soccer registers nearly 3 million players annually, ages 5 to 19. Through its programming, resources and leadership, US Youth Soccer is advancing the game for its 55 Member State Associations, 10,000 clubs and leagues and nearly 1 million administrators, coaches and volunteers. US Youth Soccer connects families and communities to the power of sports and its shared love of soccer. US Youth Soccer provides a path for every player, offering programs that provide a fun, safe and healthy environment for players at every level of the game. For more information, visit www.usyouthsoccer.org.

About Major League Soccer
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer – celebrating its 25th Season in 2020 – features 26 clubs throughout the United States and Canada, in addition to future expansion teams in Austin, St. Louis, Sacramento, and Charlotte. For more information about MLS, visit www.MLSsoccer.com.

For the First Time Ever, Fans Can go Behind the Scenes During Pre-season at FC Barcelona, Thanks to New Exclusive 4-part Series by Beko

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Exclusive digital series shines a light on the staff that work diligently at Ciutat Esportiva to make a healthier lifestyle possible for the FC Barcelona first team

Istanbul – Sept. 19, 2019 (PRNewswire) Today, Beko, the leading home appliance brand in Europe, in partnership with FC Barcelona, will premiere “Pros Behind The Pros,” a 4-part mini-series that takes a behind-the-scenes look at the hard-working individuals that make it possible for the first team to lead healthy lifestyles off the pitch to remain one of the world’s top clubs on the pitch.

As FC Barcelona’s Exclusive Training Partner, Beko got special access around Ciutat Esportiva and beyond, to deliver sports fans with a unique look at the extensive planning and work that takes place around the training grounds to ensure the team is at peak performance levels. From the team nutritionists and chefs to the kit team, to grounds staff, physiotherapists and doctors and onto the world-renowned La Masia Youth Training Centre, where the focus is on the next generation of football heroes, Beko will spotlight those who are the true foundation of the club.

“As an extension of Beko and FC Barcelona’s successful ‘Eat Like A Pro’ campaign, which aims to help prevent the global epidemic of childhood obesity by educating and guiding parents and children on the importance of healthy eating and nutrition by showing what their heroes eat to perform at their best, Beko got to take this one step further and offer a unique look behind the curtain,” said Zeynep Yalım Uzun, CMO at Beko. “We’ve heard from football heroes like FC Barcelona star Gerard Piqué, and this time, we’re going behind the scenes, focusing on a diverse mix of professionals behind the footballers to help inspire people all around the world to live healthier lives.”

Episode 1: Fueling Barca

In episode one, we meet Chef Adrià Ponce, Menu Lead Marta Miguel and Nutritionist Toña Lizárraga who show us how they juggle keeping all team members energized and prepped in the crucial pre-season period. Beko follows them morning to night through a busy double training session and joins them on the pre-season tour in Japan and the United States where unfamiliar surroundings provide their own complications. This is the first episode:

Episode 2: Training Days

Ever wondered how intense a FC Barcelona training day can be? We go behind the scenes on one intense training day at Ciutat Esportiva from dawn until dusk following the team that put the professional players through their paces. From coaches to team doctors, everyone has an insight to share into how what they do directly impacts the team’s performance. We’ll see the effect on the pitch as the players take part in a training session, and later play in the annual friendly, The Joan Gamper Trophy. This episode will air on Thursday, September 26.

Episode 3: Dress for Success

In episode two, we meet the FC Barcelona kit team, showing how they choose, prepare and pack all the technical material that the players need to keep them focused on the important aspects in training. It’s by no means a simple task as they need to be ready for any kit requests from any player at any time, ranging from training shirts, boots, shin pads, and wet weather gear (just in case…). This episode will air on Thursday, October 3.

Episode 4: Who’s Next?

In this final episode, we will shift the focus to the potential next generation of FC Barcelona heroes at the world renowned La Masia Youth Training Centre. Beko follows young players of different ages – boys and girls – throughout their day as they strive to become just like their heroes – the FC Barcelona First Team. Following in the footsteps of the professionals before them, we see them as they eat together with their families at home, take part in regular school lessons, football training, and even as they begin to mix with the senior team. This final episode will air on Thursday, October 10.

The series will air on www.YouTube.com/beko.

For more information on Eat Like A Pro, please visit www.beko.com/eatlikeapro

For more information or imagery, please contact The Beko PR Global team: BekoMSL@mslgroup.com