Mario Pereira

by Paul W

Mario Pereira has been a key figure in the development of soccer in the Northeast for over thirty years. Although he had a stint with the Boston Tea Men of the NASL, his major contributions to the sport have revolved around coaching. Pereira has been involved with the Rhode Island Stingrays of the Premier Development League (PDL) since they were founded in 1995. Additionally, Pereira is head coach at La Salle Academy in Providence.

Pereira’s dedication to developing young, local talent is evident through the rosters he has produced through the years. A winning season can look nice on paper, but that is not the only goal for teams in the PDL. The league is specifically geared towards college-aged players looking to gain experience at a professional level. This is exactly Pereira’s mission, with the majority of players being plucked from area schools.

With the aim of getting the most out of promising young players, the 2008 MLS Superdraft must have been music to Pereira’s ears. Two of the three former Stingray players drafted to the MLS were from Rhode Island universities. Matthew Britner, a defender from Brown University, was picked up by the New England Revolution, while midfielder Geoffrey Cameron signed with Houston Dynamo. The Dynamo and Revs were MLS champions and runners-up, respectively, for the past two season. There could be no better ground in the US for these players to prove themselves.

Pereira was also in charge when one of Portugal’s top clubs faced the Stingrays during at 2002 tour of the United States. Benefiting from a large Portuguese population in Rhode Island, the game was attended by over 6,000 fans. Rhode Island lost 2-0, but the opportunity to play against a European side was an achievement in itself.

Despite the Stingray’s success in getting MLS teams to recognize potential talent, Pereira’s choice to keep a roster almost entirely of young players could be having an impact on results.

1998 was the only year Rhode Island finished first in the regular season. Since then the Stingrays have failed to finish any higher than third place and have not qualify for the playoffs.

It’s been a slow decade for the Stingrays as far as numbers go. As disappointing as this might seem on paper, the Pereira is getting results in a different way.