6/3/2010: Academy- US Star Landon Donovan On The Difference Between American and Dutch Kids At A Young Age

Excerpt from A Beautiful Game by Tom Watt which includes many stories from professional players talking about how the game of soccer changed them as a kid. Here the U.S. National Team's finest star, who took Everton of the English Premier League by storm this Spring, talks about why he was so successful, and it's because he said he got out there and played a lot at a young age similiar to the Dutch:

"I think with any sport, that's how you learn: by being outside and playing it. If you look at American players, we're less tactically aware and not as good technically, and I think that comes from not playing enough at an early age. Here, there's more emphasis on running and fitness, whereas if you look at Dutch kids, for example, the technical side of the game just seems to come naturally to them because they've been playing right from the start. Just being outside and playing your own games, all your emphasis is on your touch and how you are with the ball. Doing so much of that as a kid gave me an advantage later on. It was more fun that way too."

--Landon Donovan

The Dayton Dutch Lions main focus is on the technical and tactical aspects of the game that Landon Donovan talked about as being important in the above excerpt. For more information on the Dayton Dutch Lions academy, click here.