Another reason why the U.S. won't win the World Cup anytime soon (part n+1)

Fascinating article about the Ajax youth academy.
Bonus video (it ain't much, but it's moving pictures).
Example:

Over time, though, the academy hardens them mentally as well as physically. I asked Dylan how he felt about his coach’s being fired. He shrugged. “The football world is a hard world,” he replied. “He has made the decision to send boys away. Now he knows how it feels.” [Ed. daaaaaamn!]

Minor quibble - this generalization is absurd:
In America, with its wide-open spaces and wide-open possibilities, we celebrate the “self-made athlete,” honor effort and luck and let children seek their own course for as long as they can — even when that means living with dreams that are unattainable and always were.

Parents have been purpose-building their kids to be athletes for at least 30 years. How is that 'self-made'? Now more than ever parents enable (encourage?) their kids to play one sport year round. How is this "wide-open possibilities"? The kids are coming out of programs almost as immersive as those at Ajax, but they're playing baseball, football, basketball and hockey.