Mr. Albert Puig, the former Youth Director of FC Barcelona of Spain, has joined Force as our Executive Technical Director. Albert will be responsible for setting the technical direction of De Anza Force, Force North and Force South and the development of our coaching staff.
Mr. Puig, the author of “The power of a dream” which sold over 10,000 copies, holds a UEFA Pro license and served FC Barcelona as a scout from 2003-2006, FCB Academy Coach from 2006-2010 and as the FCB Academy Director from 2010-2014. On a visit in February 2016, he presented Positional Play Within FC Barcelona Training Methodology at a sold out 2016 NorCal Premier Soccer International Coaching event held in Livermore, CA. Mr. Puig was intrigued by the potential of the young player pool in Northern California and the opportunity to develop top players from pool of talented young players at Force. Force’s commitment to player development, quality of coaching staff and style of play fit well with Mr. Puig’s vision.
Many top clubs around the world have long established youth development programs. None have been as successful as Barça’s La Masia Academy. Nine graduates of La Masia: Iniesta, Xavi, Gerard Piqué, Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets, Pedro Rodríguez, Víctor Valdés, and Pepe Reina were members of Spain’s World Cup-winning squad in South Africa in 2010. Followed later that year by Messi, Iniesta and Xavi winning the top three places at the FIFA Ballon d’Or; the first time ever that the world’s best player award had been contested by three graduates of the same youth program.
We feel very fortunate to have Albert as a part of our club.
Some of the recent press surrounding Mr Puig’s move to Force:
https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/club-soccer-articles/former-barca-acad-director-joins-de-anza_aid39120
https://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_29790744/fc-barcelona-academy-coach-join-bay-area-soccer
https://www.socceramerica.com/article/68510/northern-california-youth-club-hires-former-barcel.html
Video Highlights from Albert’s visit with Norcal coaches:
International Coaching Series Highlights with Albert Puig (youtube)