MLS Italian legend points to importance of youth game

Pro football in the United States has come far, but more needs to be done at the youth level to develop a "culture" that brings the sport on a par with Europe, said Andrea Pirlo, the former standout Italy midfielder.

Much of that has to do with how young players start out and are brought up through the ranks professionally when compared to Europe, according to Pirlo, who is in his second season with New York City FC of Major League Soccer (MLS).

"What I'm talking about is actually a system or culture. I don't mean that the level of technical skills are low. I just mean there is a cultural void that needs to be filled," Pirlo told Reuters at an MLS promotional event in Manhattan.

The Italian, who turned 37 on Thursday, said Americans who play football at college are already behind in terms of their development when compared with European peers.

A large part of this has to do with how football is sponsored in Europe by professional clubs at an early age, said Pirlo, noting that in the U.S. sports such as basketball and baseball compete with football for the attention of younger players.

As an example of the gap between Europe and U.S. in early development, Barcelona have a youth programme where children are already identified at the age of five and given training by the club's coaches, said Pirlo.

"They pick them and they train them in much more than just running," he said. "They train them in stopping the ball. Here that doesn't happen.

"So when a young man becomes a professional in the United States he still has some gaps that need to be filled when playing on the field."

As far as his personal U.S. experience, Pirlo said he has adjusted to the new environment and found the level of play quite physical, which he attributed to how players evolve in the U.S. system.

"It's a very hard league to play in. It's very physical, there's a lot of running. So there is a lot of physical work and to me, in my mind, too little play," said Pirlo.