Article on AJAX youth academy NY times

[treiz]

This things take time. What MLS needs to do is move away from the American way of getting young players (through college and the draft), if they want to be a force they have to and I mean HAVE TO adapt the European way.

[and1GS]

But we're Amurricans and we do it the Amurrican way! **** yeeeeeeeeeeah!

I doubt they change it, the MLS will be trash for at least another decade or so.

[Foye]

Yeah that does play a part, and this "lateness" does cause the kids to really take it seriously late on. I've played with many people who I believe can play at least semi-pro, but they never took it seriously until they reached 15-16, and even then that's too late.

I know that. My team had guys who played for Galatasaray Istanbul and Eintracht Frankfurt. They were incredibly talented but never serious enough to become pro's. Especially, our central midfielder was awesome. On a good day he was running through the opposing defenders like slalom pole's. I remember even our opponents asking us why we had so talented guys although we weren't playing in the top youth leagues.