GPS – Massachusetts (Global Premier Soccer)
[Formerly known as Mass Premier Soccer (MPS); this club was rebranded in November 2013, along with the new logo in January 2014.]
GPS FRAUD SCHEME CONVICTION
Global Premier Soccer (GPS), once a prominent soccer club, was implicated in a significant legal controversy leading to its closure in June 2020 due to allegations of a visa fraud conspiracy. The core of the scandal centered on the club’s former Chief Operating Officer, Justin Capell along with other executives and employees. The charges were brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Massachusetts.
The fraudulent activities, as detailed in court documents, were said to have occurred between 2016 and October 2019. During this period, Capell and his associates within GPS and an outside counsel conspired to deceive multiple federal agencies. The deception involved the submission of fraudulent visa petitions, which aimed to obtain work visas under false pretenses for hundreds of individuals employed by GPS.
To facilitate this fraud, the conspirators crafted fake employment contracts between the visa applicants and professional soccer teams. Additionally, they are accused of manufacturing counterfeit coaching licenses, which were then submitted as part of the visa application process to support the applicants’ credentials.
Despite the complexities and multitude of documents and emails evidencing the various allegations, the essence of the case is straightforward: GPS and its leadership, whether intentionally or not, engaged in deceptive practices to bypass immigration laws and subsequently faced the legal consequences, leading to the organization’s dissolution.
Fees too high
Coach does not communicate no team manager
No escalation point for dissatisfied parents
Not sure all players pay the same price
Takes it away from some of the good points
Coach is ex pro and knows the game
bets club team ever. I play on town soccer team and club. My first year on town, I scored 3 goals. my second year was town and club. so now my goal average is 12 per season since i played for this team. before i did, my goal average per season was 5. best club team.
We have been with GPS for over 6 years. We have had amazing coaches and only 2 were not a good fit for one of my sons (other players had strong development with those coaches so I will not say they were not good, just not a good fit for my child, but that being said my boys have never wanted to try out anywhere else – they are given that option each year) Yes it is expensive but when I was researching elsewhere I came to really see how much GPS offers. My boys are not NPL or above and we get – pre-season camp, practice 2x’s a week, weekly goal keeper sessions, and tournaments (I think 4 are part of your yearly fees and others are a separate tournament fee) in fall and spring. Winter is either one training a week and one futsal game a week, or at the high school level teams have 2 trainings a week, weekly goal keeping sessions, and tournaments. There is also an April camp that is included in your fees – and the camps are residential camps not day camps. They also offer additional training programs such as strength and agility or technical training – many which are free to current GPS players. I am a firm believer in you get what you pay for and GPS has proven that what they offer players is definitely worth the money.
All coaches are qualified, but as with any large organization it depends on which coach(es) your child has for their team: Some are absolute rock-stars and some are just OK. With each coach having multiple teams (and other club responsibilities), sometimes you have a different coach for a practice session or game. On the boys’ side the top-level teams (NPL) are generally very strong (draw from a large pool of players – from all MA regions), and often get the best coaches along with the best talent. The NPL teams train 3 times per week during the season, and play in the NPL as well as numerous tournaments (many local, but usually 2 national level each year : Bethesda, Manhattan, etc.). Full year training, including indoor and Futsal in the Winter, and 2 training camps (April Vacation, and August pre-season). Definitely among the most expensive clubs, but at the top level you get what you pay for. If you are looking for more a la carte pricing, look elsewhere. GPS – Mass doesn’t own their own facilities, but due to their purchasing power and relationships, they have access to some of the best facilities in the area (most activities do occur on FieldTurf, so minimal weather-related cancellations, although it would be nice for the boys to play on natural grass a bit more).
Club is a joke, bunch of brits who never played soccer. ,save your money…
Horrible experience of gauging families for money and tournaments they do not want to play in. Caution to anyone considering this club. They will tell you everything you want to hear and fail to deliver. High priced and no different than any other club. Actually, strike that, all the other/less expensive clubs beat us!
The coaches are Wonderful & great role models for our children. My daughter has improved so much & loves the game even more now .
Oh gee another rich kid club! Seriously, at $3700 they are robbing people! My son’s club costs $750 a year and we still beat teams in MAPLE and NEP. They’ll still play at HS, almost any college, and beyond.
My friend recently left the club I’m playing with and has joined gps and in her first tournament she scored 7 out of the 11 goals in all 4 games. She already seems to be fitting in nicely and I’m happy for her.
Every club team has their ups and downs. Let’s face it club soccer is all about parents paying big money for their kid to play, period. GPS has the best structure to provide children with development.
Excellent coaches who juggle crazy demands to be available for your kids. What more is there to say!