Website Manager

Looking forward to 2015-2016

Dear Benfica USA families, 

I’m excited to give you a little preview of what we have been working on behind the scenes in preparation for the 2015/2016 soccer year. 

BOYS PROGRAM

We will continue with our mission in player development in trainings and games.  Our relationship with Seacoast United has made us the only Club in our area to identify potential Development Academy Players (DAP).  

To qualify for this extended program the players must be members of Benfica USA and best of all with no additional cost.  
The US Development Academy Program is the only league directly governed by the US Soccer Federation. This is the highest level league in the country, with the purpose of developing elite level soccer players.  

This integration will be done in two ways:

1.    The PreAcademy U11/U12 program: This will be for a dedicated pool of players that will train three times per week and play in the NEP league on Sundays and possibly some Saturdays. This program is for the serious more committed player that wants to train consistently following a scaffolding US Soccer curriculum and have the opportunities to participate in trainings and play in additional games with the All-Star team made-up from all the Seacoast United affiliated clubs.  Each affiliated club will be selecting their top players to train together and from this selected pool a team will be selected to play in PreAcademy games. These opportunities will be fluent on a weekly basis to the players that deserves it based on improvement in their abilities.

2.    For our boys U13-U18, the Seacoast United US Soccer Development Academy and Pre-Academy Programs will be available to train and play in games in addition to their Benfica USA team.  READ MORE: http://www.seacoastunited.org/Academy/index_E.html
Benfica USA players will be selected by our staff coaches to train and perhaps be offered to play in Academy or Pre-Academy games in addition to their team games and practices.  The selection will be based on the player’s ability, dedication and improvement.  The players and their families will have the option to accept or decline these extra opportunities.

3.    We will also add many cross-training and playing up opportunities to challenge players beyond their comfort level.  That is the reason for the integrated coaching assignments.  This brings our holistic approach to coaching up another level.   

Boys  : Head Coach / Assistant Coach

Jr Academy : John MacMullin
U9 : Mike Borba + Ryan Keefe Co-coaches 
U10 : Ryan Keefe + Mike Borba Co-coaches 
U11 : Nick Vitorino
U11 PreAcademy : Arthur Dimitrakopoulos + Alvaro Amaral Co-coaches 
U12 : Humberto Calle
U12 PreAcademy : Alvaro Amaral + Arthur Dimitrakopoulos Co-coaches 
U13 : David Sparks / Norris Gibson 
U14 : Norris Gibson + Nick Vitorino  Co-coaches / John MacMullin
U15 : Norris Gibson + Dimitri Markonidis    
U15 : John MacMullin
U16 : Dimitri Markonidis + Fraser Murphy  Co-coaches 
U17 : Alvaro Amaral / Tony Luongo
U18 : John Shimer / Luis Escobar


GIRLS PROGRAM

On the girls side we will continue with our mission of player development in trainings and games.  The US Soccer Federation does not have a similar program as the boys, so Seacoast United together with Benfica USA will be offering the following programs, free of charge.

1.    Regional Training Days for the U10-U12 teams.  Two to three times per season all affiliated clubs will bring their U10-U12 teams together to train and play games in a scramble format utilizing all Seacoast Staff Coaches.  

2.    Our U13-U16 players will be offered opportunities to train and play in games with the Seacoast United NPL and Premier teams. The selection will be made by our staff coaches and it will be based on the player’s ability, dedication and improvement.  The players and their families will have the option to accept or decline these extra opportunities.

3.    New this coming soccer year will be additional training days with College Coaches.  This is not only to get extra practices but also to expose and prepare our female athletes to the college level expectations. Dina Gentile, Girls Director and assistant DOC is in the process of securing the coaches and schedule. 

Both the Boys and Girls programs will have many cross-training and playing up opportunities to challenge players beyond their comfort level.  That is the reason for the integrated coaching assignments and guest coaches.  This brings our holistic approach to coaching up another level.   


Girls  Head Coach/ Assistant Coach

U9 : SarahPerson/Gabby Vega
U10 : Alex Sutter 
U10 : Katie Donnelly 
U11 : Dina Gentile/Erica Leber
U11 : Erica Leber/Gabby Vega
U12 : Lexi Dussi/Charlotte Jensen
U13 : Charlotte Jensen/Lexi Dussi *
U14 : Mario Bettencourt/Caitlin Peters *
U15 : Kenny Pigeon/Dina Gentile *
U16 : Mario Bettencourt *

 * + Guest College Coaches   

I am looking forward to seeing you at the tryouts. 

Regards,
Arthur   

Arthur Dimitrakopoulos
Executive Director/President
Email: [email protected] 
Home email: [email protected] 
Cell:  978-979-2233

Spring 2015 - Season End Message

Dear Benfica USA parents/players, 

As we are winding down the 2014/2015 soccer year I wanted to thank you for being part of our family. Your continued support is a true testament to the club’s soccer culture.

We had yet another significant soccer year.

1.       The partnership/affiliation with Seacoast United is moving in a good direction

·         The U10-U12 girls have had opportunities to participate in Regional Training Days (this spring 15 U10-U12 players participated)

·         My direct involvement with the Seacoast Academy Program has made it easier to transition our players to train and play games with the Academy teams.  So far 11 of our BU15, BU16 and BU17 had this opportunity

·         Both FREE of charge

2.       Playing in the New England Premiership (NEP) and National Premier League (NPL) is a fantastic challenge for our players

·         All our teams are playing in the NEP league and many in the NPL league

3.       Our own College Night

·         We continue to offer information on the admission/recruiting process and playing  college soccer

4.       Pre-season and College Showcase Tournaments

·         Although we were faced with many weather related challenges we did manage to play most of the games

We will remain steadfast on our philosophy of player development over team needs. We will always be honest with the parents and players and we will not tell you what you NEED to hear just to collect a fee.  We will not make unrealistic promises.  Nobody has the magic dust to develop players overnight.  Some players will take the information and make the adjustments quicker than others.  Kids change from week to week, game to game and season to season.  I understand some adults would like to see a big difference right away but no one possesses that power except maybe the player.  We are looking for players that we can work with, that are dedicated and committed to working hard at practices and games and are focused in getting better.  We’ll continue to give out the information, the opportunities to apply the information, the patience and perseverance required in the development process. 

Our style of play is to encourage the players in all age groups to try new things and to be creative. We will focus primarily on the Principles of Play, which are Principles of Attack and Principles of Defense. We will approach each game to win but not at the expense of the player and his/her developmental needs, by playing bad soccer.  As the players get more comfortable with the technical/tactical foundations and they get older, more team strategies on winning will be introduced. 

Looking forward to the 2015/2016 soccer year:

1.       Continue with our Mission Statement.

2.       More Regional Training Day opportunities for our girls including additional playing opportunities for various higher level teams, FREE of charge.

3.       The Seacoast United US Soccer Development Academy Program will be available to our boys U13-U18 to train and play in games in addition to their Benfica USA team FREE of charge, READ MORE

4.       PreAcademy Boys U11 and U12. This will be a dedicated pool of players (in addition to the regular U11/U12 teams) that will train three times per week and play in the NEP league on Sundays and possible some Saturdays. This program is for the serious more committed player that wants to train consistently following a scaffolding US Soccer curriculum and have the opportunities to participate in trainings and play in additional games with the All-Star team made-up from all the Seacoast United affiliated clubs.  Each affiliated club will be selecting their top players to train together and from this selected pool a team will be selected to play in PreAcademy games. These opportunities will be fluent on a weekly basis to the players that deserves it based on improvement in their abilities.  These additional opportunities will be FREE. Benfica USA Head coaches will be Alvaro Amaral, Humberto Calle and Arthur Dimitrakopoulos along with the other dedicated Benfica coaches.  I’m also one of the Academy coaches which will make this transition much easier for our players. If you know of any players that could benefit from this program please forward this information to them and encourage them to register.   READ MORE

Finally, I would like to continue our open communication and if there are any questions, concerns or comments that the coach cannot answer, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards,

Arthur Dimitrakopoulos

Arthur Dimitrakopoulos

Executive Director/President

Director of Coaching

Seacoast Academy Coach

[email protected]

Cell Number:  978-979-2233

PS.  I’m hoping to see you all at the tryouts.  Please don’t forget to pre-register.  We believe in the word-of-mouth to be the best advertisement.  Please, tell a friend -bring a friend and take advantage of our referral program.

Fall 2014 - Announcements

FALL 2014:

Great Expectations

Congratulations on joining the Benfica USA Club! We are excited to have you on the team!
In June 20, 2014 I sent out a welcoming letter. As we are about to start the first game, I would like to send you these tips that will help you meet your soccer club expectations – and ours.

What can you expect from us?

 Improvement. We promise that with us, your player will become better
 Our objective is “player development“, not team development. Each player will be placed in a safe, challenging environment conducive to becoming better. The “open” club pass card allows for fluency from roster to roster. This is more transparent in the U9-U12 age groups
 Professional coaches, including national, regional, state, high school and college coaches, as well as ex-pro players and coaches
 Specialized, professional GK Training
 Specialized Strength & Conditioning
 Opportunities to play in additional higher level leagues
 Efficient service and management
 Information about State, Regional and National level programs and opportunities
 A COLLEGE GAMEPLAN- Forums, Advice, Showcase Tournaments
 Countless extra opportunities: clinics, summer camps, tournaments etc.
 Committed and dedicated staff at all levels


What do we expect from you?

 Patience; Player development is a long non-ending process. Most important is where the player ends up when they are 16 and 17 years old
 Be supportive to your player and club
 Attendance at all games and practices
 Commitment to soccer as your main sport
 Commitment to healthy nutrition and remaining fit


How can we be sure our expectations match up?

Some players progress more quickly than others. This is not by chance! To make the most of what we offer, you need to:

 Take the opportunities offered – attend high level Benfica USA camps and clinics
 Watch pro soccer – go to games, watch as many games as you can on TV
 Practice at home – juggle, play with friends, keep fit
 Consider other commitments – if you are playing 4 sports, or many teams, you may not progress as fast as a player who is focusing on 1 sport and place club soccer as the #1 priority
 Play year round – find additional winter training opportunities, join summer leagues, attend our camps in off season


Remember, the coaches open the door, but it is the player who must enter

Arthur Dimitrakopoulos

2014 great expectations.pdf


Summer 2014 - Announcements

SUMMER 2014:

Dear Benfica USA U9-U14 families,

Welcome to the 2014/2015 soccer year.  We have just finished a very exciting year with many individual and team successes. We are looking forward to continue and surpass it this coming year.

Sheelagh and I have put together a timetable for your convenience.  We know it’s a lot but please use it as a reference whenever you have questions.  

COMMUNICATION:
To maintain a seamless communication flow please note the following:

  1. If it is not posted on our WEBSITE it has not been decided yet.
  2. We use social media for last minute updates, changes, notifications or cancellations.  Please like us on FACEBOOK  www.facebook.com/BenficaUSA  follow us on TWITTER  twitter.com/benficausa  and on YOUTUBE  www.youtube.com/user/BenficaUSAChannel
  3. NEW! We are introducing our own FREE SMARTPHONE APP. It will allow administrators and coaches to send PUSH notifications to your smartphone with news and updates. See details on this page.
  4. All player's families have an online account with us at this website  :  When you log in, you can : Check enrollment, check payments made, pay by Visa or Mastercard, update email addresses, mailing addresses, emergency info and more : Please keep your email address and phone numbers up to date in your account.
  5. In addition, each team will have a parent volunteer TEAM ADMIN, to help the communication between the club, coach and parents/players.  If you are interested in being a Team Administrator, please contact Sheelagh at [email protected]  
  6. The “PARENTS” tab on our website has been updated with important information about the Leagues, US Club Soccer, Olympic Development Program, etc.


REGISTRATION and PAPERWORK:

To complete the registration process your support and assistance with the following is crucial. Sheelagh cannot apply for your player passcard if any items are missing.

  1. NEW! We are transitioning to US CLUB SOCCER for registration and insurance coverage. A new waiver form will be sent to you during the summer for signing.
  2. A color photo of player's face is required, preferably digital. New and returning players should send an updated photo.
  3. Copy of Birth certificate for all new players.
  4. Signed copy of final page of our Club's Player/Parent agreement.
  5. Payment towards club fees.


UNIFORM ORDERING:
Families will order game and training uniforms online at www.wegotsoccer.com/SUSC. See details on this page.

  1. New Players will need home, away and training uniforms.
  2. Returning players will need to purchase the new Navy training uniform. The game uniforms are staying the same.
  3. Uniform numbers will be emailed to new players. Returning players from last year keep their same number.


TRAINING/GAME SCHEDULES:
Practice schedule for the fall season is posted.  All practices run 6:00-7:30 (unless otherwise posted).  However towards the end of October the times will be adjusted to 5:30-DARK due to the loss of daylight.  Also at the end of the season the practice night and location might change if we move the practices indoor or under the lights.

  1. All U10-U14 teams have been entered into the Labor Day weekend Seacoast Tournament. The club pays for this and it’s mandatory.
  2. The fall League season will run from September 6/7 to November 1/2. November 7/8 is a dedicated make-up date.  There are no league games on Columbus Day weekend but our DOC might schedule an optional clinic.
  3. League Game Schedules available here: www.nepremiership.com

Arthur Dimitrakopoulos

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