Major League Soccer announced on Thursday that it will add a high-tech data-tracking system that could potentially change the face of the game by providing coaches and trainers metrics in real-time about player performance, speed, heart rate and power.

MLS said it will become the world's first "smart league" when it embraces the Adidas Micoach Elite System starting in 2013. All 19 club teams — some of which have been testing the system since 2010 — will have access to the data.

"The technology is entirely customizable to each player, so they can meet specific and unique goals during training based on their strengths and what they need to improve," Paul Gaudio, VP of adidas Interactive, told Mashable. "It will have a profound impact on how coaches and trainers work with players."

Although the technology won't be rolled out to the league until next year, it will debut on Wednesday, July 25 during the AT&T MLS All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

Here's how it works: Each professional soccer player will carry a small data chip in a protective pocket on the base layer of their jersey. The chip will sit between the shoulder blades.

Thanks to a series of electrodes and sensors embedded into the base layer of the fabric, the chip will be able to wirelessly transport 200 data records per second from each player and route the information to a nearby computer system. That information will not only provide details on performance, but also analysis, and can be easily accessed on a coach's iPad. (Fans will also have access to the live data).

Coaches will be able to monitor each player, stack stats against others or view the team as a whole. Even more, the team will be able to track the physical and physiological impact of each player and potentially reduce the risk of injury on the field.

"It's clear that soccer around the world has been pushing into this space and that the sport is eager to use technology while preparing for competition," Gaudio said. "We realized there was a lot tech happening with soccer already, but there weren’t complete solutions that were useful to teams."

Although Adidas is only working with MLS now, Gaudio said adidas is looking at other leagues that would be a natural next-step for the technology.

"As we developed the solution, we made a point to make it expandable, universal and customizable so we could introduce it to additional sports leagues in time," he said. "Right now, the focus is on soccer, but we have had exploratory meetings with coaches and teams in other sports to see what we could do in the future."

Adidas has developed consumer technology to help athletes with training in the past, but this is the first time it has rolled out its solutions to a professional league.

How do you think the new data-tracking system will impact Major League Soccer? Should other professional sports leagues roll out similar technology in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.