This book tells the story of how FC Barcelona has managed to build one
of the best soccer teams in the world using primarily the players from
its youth academy (nicknamed "La Masia" - the farmhouse). During the
2013-2014 season, 17 of the 25 players of the first team were from La
Masia, a historical record. These players, including Messi, Iniesta, and
Xavi, have dazzled soccer fans around the world with their dance-like
positioning and passing skills. La Masia now trains kids from all
continents, including its first American, Ben Lederman. This book
reveals that this accumulation of talent is not a coincidence but the
result of a 30 year-long plan, set in motion by the brilliant mind of
Dutch coach and ex-Barça player Johan Cruyff. Cruyff brought to Barça
the attacking, 4-3-3-based soccer style known as Total Football and
converted La Masia into a high-throughput factory of players for the
first team. Cruyff's brightest pupil, Pep Guardiola (from La Masia),
became the coach that won three Ligas in a row and two Champions Leagues
in four years with a team full of homegrown players. They have been
playing soccer together since their teens and they are all close
friends. Some even attend college, which shows that the club cares for
education. The author reveals here that the strategy followed by most
rich clubs to be at the top (purchase the best players and sell their
homegrown) is not self-sustainable because the investors' money does not
come from soccer. La Masia, on the other hand, has saved Barça millions
of euros. Will the MLS learn this valuable lesson and promote its youth
academies, or will it let American soccer fall in the hands of big corporations whose primary goal is to make a profit?
of the best soccer teams in the world using primarily the players from
its youth academy (nicknamed "La Masia" - the farmhouse). During the
2013-2014 season, 17 of the 25 players of the first team were from La
Masia, a historical record. These players, including Messi, Iniesta, and
Xavi, have dazzled soccer fans around the world with their dance-like
positioning and passing skills. La Masia now trains kids from all
continents, including its first American, Ben Lederman. This book
reveals that this accumulation of talent is not a coincidence but the
result of a 30 year-long plan, set in motion by the brilliant mind of
Dutch coach and ex-Barça player Johan Cruyff. Cruyff brought to Barça
the attacking, 4-3-3-based soccer style known as Total Football and
converted La Masia into a high-throughput factory of players for the
first team. Cruyff's brightest pupil, Pep Guardiola (from La Masia),
became the coach that won three Ligas in a row and two Champions Leagues
in four years with a team full of homegrown players. They have been
playing soccer together since their teens and they are all close
friends. Some even attend college, which shows that the club cares for
education. The author reveals here that the strategy followed by most
rich clubs to be at the top (purchase the best players and sell their
homegrown) is not self-sustainable because the investors' money does not
come from soccer. La Masia, on the other hand, has saved Barça millions
of euros. Will the MLS learn this valuable lesson and promote its youth
academies, or will it let American soccer fall in the hands of big corporations whose primary goal is to make a profit?
