Honestly I believe the European leagues will be a bigger factor
than MLS when it comes to recruiting the top US young talent. MLS has a few things working against it that will keep it as a second or even third tier premier league even when factoring in the academy system regardless of league. If MLS wants to improve its image and be considered a good option for the US to develop its young national team players, then MLS clubs will need to start signing more top European and/or South American players in their prime. Even then I don't see MLS using college soccer like how the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB use collegiate athletics. I do think at some point MLS will decide to eliminate its Super Draft.
As far as baseball goes the sport will always have talented players like Todd Helton, Stephen Strasburg, or Mark Appel who opt to spend 3 years in college instead of working their way through the minor league system. Now if the NBA, NHL, NFL, or MLB ever decided to incorporate an academy system like what is found in soccer, then those collegiate sports would be just as impacted as what we see in collegiate soccer.
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In response to this post by HOO86)
Posted: 03/06/2017 at 8:03PM