words // Brandon Richard
Major League Soccer and adidas have announced that MLS will integrate the adidas miCoach Elite System league-wide in 2013, marking the world’s first soccer league. The announcement precedes the 2012 MLS All-Star Game, which is set to be the world’s first “smart game” integrating the system. Next season, each MLS club will use adidas’ data-tracking technology to provide coaches, trainers and players with real-time performance metrics.
By measuring on-field performance, league officials are hopeful that teams will have a better understanding of the physical and physiological impact of the game. In-depth analysis will possible prevent overtraining and risk of injury, allowing players to maintain optimum levels of performance throughout the season.
“We are proud to partner with our long-term partner Major League Soccer to debut our latest innovation the micoach Elite System at the MLS All-Star Game and then across the league in 2013,” said adidas Group CEO Herbert Hainer. “As the paths of sports and technology continue to converge, we are pleased to be pioneering in this area and continue to deliver cutting-edge innovations to teams and leagues worldwide.”
The miCoach Elite System includes a small data cell that fits into a player’s base layer in a protective pocket on the back between the shoulder blades. A series of electrodes and sensors woven into the fabric of the base layer connect to the cell, which will wirelessly transmit more than 200 data records per second from each player to a central computer. Information will also be displayed on a series of simplified insights and results on the coach’s iPad.
“Our long-standing partnership with adidas and our combined goal to bring innovative and game-changing experiences to the sport of soccer are key reasons behind the success of Major League Soccer,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “Working with adidas, we are bringing players, coaches and fans across the league a revolutionary technology to help teams perform at the highest level.”
In the future, MLS fans will be able to experience greater insight from the field of play as live, on-field player data will become an integral part of the game experience, whether watching from home or within the stadium.
The micoach Elite System is part of the family of micoach electronic training devices, services and technologies that capture, analyze and evaluate personal performance to help athletes get better for their sport.
