World Cup 2026: Are USA building towards success on home soil in 2026?

There is an exciting new breed of youngsters emerging from the US and top European clubs are taking notice.

The trickle of talent continued in the latest transfer window, with Roma signing 19-year-old full-back Bryan Reynolds from FC Dallas and the highly rated Brenden Aaronson joining Red Bull Salzburg from Philadelphia Union.

One European scout told BBC Sport the North American market has always been on clubs’ radar, but the region is now producing “modern, athletic players who can cope with high-intensity demands” and who have the “correct drive and focus”.

While World Cup 94 piqued interest, Larry Sunderland, director of player development at MLS side FC Cincinnati and coach of the US Under-16 and Under-17 teams, believes the turning point in producing talent came 14 years ago.

“Player development is all about patience,” he tells BBC Sport. “We got serious about player development with the advent of US Soccer’s Development Academy in 2007.

“We started to get the best of the best playing together. It defined our pathway, defined our pyramid, and more than ever it encouraged free-play scenarios, rather than pay-to-play. At the highest level, it really encouraged clubs to make an investment in players.”

It provided a streamlined pipeline of talent for MLS clubs by getting the best youngsters to train and play together for 10 months of the year, exposing them to better coaching and a more professional environment. It put an emphasis on clubs to develop youth players.

“They invested heavily, by MLS standards, in player development, in facilities, in personnel,” explains Sunderland.

This included educating coaches through a programme with the French Football Federation, whose own elite academy structure at Clairefontaine was established 10 years before their first World Cup triumph in 1998.

“The top development talent in the US was put through the French Federation coaching school – we were exposed to the French methodology,” adds Sunderland. “With those things coming together and the idea of patience, you’re seeing it all pay off now.”

US men’s head coach Gregg Berhalter agrees, telling radio station SiriusXM last year the programme has “been everything” for youth football in the country.

At national age-group level it has led to a stronger pool of players and Sunderland says US Soccer has expanded its scouting network to complement this, while also teaching scouts to identify specific players that fit their desired profile.

“MLS clubs are investing and US Soccer is investing more time and resources into talent identification,” says Sunderland.

“US sports tend to identify physical athletes first – I think we’re scratching the surface on what a footballer looks like, how a footballer moves and this is something different than an American Football player or a basketball player. We’re getting better at that.”