Posted Sep 13, 2012, 10:26 AM
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New Yorker for life
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Borough of Jersey
Posts: 51,918
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Originally Posted by manchester united
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Making a Pitch for New York Soccer
By ALEXANDER ABNOS
September 10, 2012
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Major League Soccer's tentative deal to open a new stadium in Flushing Meadows won't only give the league an on-field presence in New York City—it may also offer an opportunity for the city's up-and-coming soccer players. There are many theories about why a home for talented soccer aficionados from around the globe has struggled to produce more professional players. Most agree, though, on one possibility: the lack of a local professional club.
Despite the city's strong soccer fan base and vibrant playing community, only a dozen of the 1,760 players in MLS's history said they hailed from New York, according to league statistics. That is fewer than Los Angeles, which 14 players called their hometown. St. Louis, Dallas and San Diego also have been the hometowns of more MLS players than the city. While MLS's Red Bull New York represents the city professionally, Red Bull Arena and its training facilities are located in Harrison, N.J. That is a 10-mile (or more) hurdle in recruiting young players from the city into the club's academy program, according to its director Bob Montgomery.
Many families can't fit five nights of practice, games and travel time. The result: a youth academy that is "New York" in name only. The Red Bulls have 92 players in its youth program, but only 13 list their hometown as New York City.
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