Barcelona Opens Up Permanent US Academy

As more Americans are taking notice of the beautiful game than ever before, European clubs are capitalizing on the (albeit smaller than other countries) bank of talent to be had across the pond.  The spanish giants, Barcelona, will be opening the doors on their first U.S. academy, FCB Escola Florida, later this month.  While Barca is certainly not the first club to set up camp in the U.S., with Everton and Boca Juniors already operating out of the CT-NY area, the move adds credence to the idea that international clubs opening up U.S. academies is becoming a trend.
While we can hope that this means European clubs are perking up and realizing that there is future talent to be had in America, we have to take these new openings with a grain of salt.  Academies have not only been used to scout and grow talent, but also to promote the club's brand image.  Now while I'm not saying that the Barca opening is purely to capitalize on the sudden surge in soccer interest in America, we have to assume that this is one of the motivators.  It's now up to the U.S. to start shifting the reason for clubs like Barcelona to open up these academies, towards the talent.  As Ollie covers extensively here, the United States has an enormous wealth of athletic talent in our youth, and we are waiting for the stimulus or catalyst that can drive the change.  The prospect of playing for a European club academy could certainly be one piece to the puzzle.  Coupled with the World Cup high the country had been experiencing as well huge movements in the world of youth soccer, such as this complex to be built in Kansas City, we may soon see the acceptance of soccer into the mainstream of sports as more kids turn to the sport, and in turn more talent flowing from the U.S.

The link to the FCB Escola Florida site is http://fcbescola.fcbarcelona.com/florida/.