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Player & Club Development

Educate Their
Attention.

I work with players, coaches, and clubs on how players actually develop day to day.

Academy Head Coach at Philadelphia Union. Sixteen years in the game, starting out in Ireland and most recently at the Union.

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What I Do

Three ways to work together.

Each one starts with a conversation. From there we figure out what fits the player, the coach, or the club. Nothing off the shelf.

For Players

Working with a Player

Individual work with a player who's serious about the next level. We watch your game on film, talk through what we see, and put together what you should be working on between sessions.

Best for Players in MLS Next, ECNL, or academy programs working toward college or pro.
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For Coaches

Working with a Coach

One-to-one work with a coach who wants to get sharper. We watch your sessions, look at how you're planning and how you're coaching in the moment, and talk through what we see. You walk away with a clearer sense of what to keep and what to change.

Best for Club, academy, or high school coaches who want to get better at the daily craft.
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For Clubs

Working with a Club

A look at how your club identifies players and moves them through the pathway. We go through what's working, where good players are getting stuck, and what's happening at the handoffs between age groups. You get a written report at the end with what we found and our recommendations.

Best for DOCs and academy leadership who are building or rebuilding a player pathway.
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About

A working coach.

Peter coaches at the Philadelphia Union Academy. He started as a grassroots coach in Ireland, then came to the US for a master's degree and a college coaching role at the University of Maine. He's coached at every level of the American game since, from grassroots through to MLS academy.

Peter believes player development happens at training, not in matches. The way a session runs, the feedback a player gets, the day-to-day standard. That's the level where the work matters most.

Peter McDonnell with Philadelphia Union Academy players
Background

A bit of history.

Where Peter has coached over the years, and the players who've come through his groups.

Career

Sixteen years of coaching.

The career path through Ireland, college, and the MLS academy, plus the licenses picked up along the way and the team results.

See the full career →
Player Pathway · 2023–2026

Players who've come through since 2023.

Every player from Peter's Academy groups, with their debuts, professional contracts, and youth national team call-ups.

14Union II
Debuts
6Homegrown
Contracts
15YNT
Call-Ups
See the full list →
Writing

Notes from the work.

Essays on player development, coaching, and the systems clubs use (or don’t) to produce them.

  1. 01

    We're not missing talent

    May 2026

Contact

Start a conversation.

If any of this lines up with what you’re working on, whether for your son or daughter, your team, or your club, reach out. The first call is just a conversation.

Email coachpetemc@gmail.com LinkedIn /in/petemcdonnell

Inquiries answered within 48 hours.