“We cracked the code”: How MLS player development is meeting the world’s best

That’s on full display on the national and international stage at this week’s Generation adidas Cup, with MLS academies testing themselves against clubs from around the world.

Fred Lipka, Vice President, Player Youth and Development, explained on the MLS Today show why today’s youth players from the United States and Canada are at a different level than before.

“Before we are very much the same kind of player, which were very physical, running, very hard worker, very dedicated to the game – but not really technical and not really [a] fast thinker,” Lipka said. “Now we are a larger spectrum of players, which can be physical, always dedicated to the game, good culture of effort. But now we have players we can find in Europe, we can find in Argentina, we can find in Brazil. I would say with almost the same level of talent.”