From http://edition.cnn.com/2016/06/20/fo...es/index.html:
"But the league's [MLS'] effort is just a drop in the bucket compared to the spending at European academies, says Stefan Szymanski, professor of sports management at the University of Michigan.
"The problem with U.S. (soccer), and certainly the problem with Major League Soccer, is the refusal to accept that they are competing in a global market and they have to match what people do in other countries," he says.
"They think they can run this kind of cottage industry, small-scale player development schemes and be competitive, and they can't.
"They are putting pitiful amounts of resources into this," he adds. "A youth academy means investing very large sums of money. I'll bet you Manchester City invests five times more than MLS clubs combined invest in their academies, and that's the difference."
Szymanski, it turns out, is correct virtually down to the exact dollar amount.
Two years ago Manchester City completed a training facility for a cost of up to £200 million (about $300 million), two-thirds of which is dedicated to its youth academy, according to the Daily Mail. Meanwhile, MLS teams have collectively spent just $40 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.
"You just think, 'What, are you kidding me?' That's not an investment. That's just fiddling around," adds Szymanski, who authored the book, "Money and Football: A Soccernomics Guide." "
"But the league's [MLS'] effort is just a drop in the bucket compared to the spending at European academies, says Stefan Szymanski, professor of sports management at the University of Michigan.
"The problem with U.S. (soccer), and certainly the problem with Major League Soccer, is the refusal to accept that they are competing in a global market and they have to match what people do in other countries," he says.
"They think they can run this kind of cottage industry, small-scale player development schemes and be competitive, and they can't.
"They are putting pitiful amounts of resources into this," he adds. "A youth academy means investing very large sums of money. I'll bet you Manchester City invests five times more than MLS clubs combined invest in their academies, and that's the difference."
Szymanski, it turns out, is correct virtually down to the exact dollar amount.
Two years ago Manchester City completed a training facility for a cost of up to £200 million (about $300 million), two-thirds of which is dedicated to its youth academy, according to the Daily Mail. Meanwhile, MLS teams have collectively spent just $40 million, according to The Wall Street Journal.
"You just think, 'What, are you kidding me?' That's not an investment. That's just fiddling around," adds Szymanski, who authored the book, "Money and Football: A Soccernomics Guide." "
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