Inter Miami CF prides itself on both creating and facilitating world-class opportunities. Even in its relatively short lifetime, the Club and its Freedom to Dream mantra have embodied this opportunity-seeking mindset for not only players, but coaches. The latest such opportunity has seen Academy U-15 head coach Pedro Cavalcanti begin the Elite Formation Coaching License program, making him one of 25 coaches across Major League Soccer to participate.
“I feel privileged to participate in a course that is having a massive impact in the development of soccer in the United States. Having the opportunity to learn from a federation that has set a standard in the last 20 years and share this experience with 24 other ambitious MLS coaches is a priceless experience,” said Cavalcanti. “I am excited for the next 18 months of learning and growing on and off the field, and applying all I learn in helping develop our next generation of talent at Inter Miami.”
Also known as the EFCL, the program is regarded as an incredibly rigorous soccer coaching course; one of the toughest in the world. The course kicked off at the start of February at the famed INF Clairefontaine outside of Paris and will continue over the course of 18 months. After completing a week of sessions, coaches will participate in club observations from Feb. 8-15, where they will be immersed within many top European teams for one week to observe the academy and player development system. Among the participating clubs are:
- Arsenal (England)
- Le Havre AC (France)
- RC Lens (France)
- AS Monaco (France)
- FC Nantes (France)
- Stade Rennais (France)
- RC Strasbourg (France)
- Toulouse FC (France)
- TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (Germany)
In addition to the seven-week commitment, the candidates will meet in smaller regional camps for field instruction and candidate evaluation during two additional extended weekends over the 18 months.
“The Elite Formation Coaching License, in partnership with the French Football Federation, has already made a substantial impact on MLS player development through the rigorous education of our MLS coaches,” said Fred Lipka, MLS Vice President of Player and Youth Development. “We are thrilled to have 25 talented and diverse individuals participating in the program as these candidates will become not just experts in the player development field, but also leaders in their club and soccer communities. We look forward to these coaches mastering the information and methodology they acquire over the next 18 months.”
For additional coverage of our team, you can follow our academy’s journey online by following our Twitter account @InterMiamiAcad or via Instagram @InterMiamiCF_Academy.
