U.S. influence in European soccer has increased

By GABRIEL CABARROUY and BILLY EICHENHOLZ / The Dallas Morning News Neil Buethe, communications coordinator for the federation, said youngsters from England used to fill almost all the spots in that country's soccer academies. "For an American to be plucked from the States and go over to a Man U or an Arsenal or a Chelsea, that's pretty rare," Buethe said. "But the past five years, there has been an influx of 15-, 16- and 17-year-olds moving over as U.S. soccer starts to become more of a force." It can be hard for American youngsters to go to the academies in England because they must be eligible for a European Union visa. But 12-year-old Emerson Hyndman of Plano would not have a problem. His grandfather, FC Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman, is Portuguese. Emerson is just 4-10, 75 pounds, too small to dominate older players. But... [read full story]