sluggo said:
This is only sort of the European model. In Europe players can join clubs very young and don't cash in until they sign their first professional contract, maybe when they are 16. It is the same there for basketball and soccer.
American soccer already follows the European model. While there is high school and college soccer here, the best male players don't play college and many don't play high school. The best female players usually do still play in college.
if the overtime league is successful, I can see new leagues forming in the US (or overtime expanding)
the AAU club teams sound similar to the under 16 Euro leagues in that they start very young in the US, and the players aren't paid
I think the difference is Europe under 16 clubs are tied to the same club for 16+ if I understand how they work
when I talk to my European colleagues they say college sports in the EU are nothing like in the US. They equate the EU university teams as more like our college club teams, or even intramural teams