It was in 1998, roughly the same point in the history of the J-League that MLS is at today, that the Japanese pro league started to show signs of trouble.
The J-League started with much fanfare in 1993, like MLS would three years later.
But by 1998, attendance was on the decline, and owners, tired of losing money, started to slash budgets. One club, Yokohama Flugels, even folded.
Gone were the high-priced stars the J-League attracted in its launch.
Today, there are few foreigners in the J-League. Most are obscure Brazilians.
The J-League import policy masked an intense player development program.
The young players developed from the satellite programs J-League clubs were required to operate have burst on the international scene.
Japan won the Asian Cup in one of the most dominating performances by a national team in a continental championship in recent memory.
You may have never heard of names like Hiroshi Nanami, Junichi Inamoto, Shunsuke Nakamura and Naohiro Takahara, but you will at the 2002 World Cup.
They are expected to soon follow Roma star Hidetoshi Nakata to Europe.
Japan has spent big money on player development and won.
MLS is having a crisis of confidence, much like the J-League experienced a few years back, but it can’t abandon player development.
We saw evidence of the American player development program (U.S. Soccer and MLS) last week in Los Angeles.
Former U-17 star Landon Donovan and Pro-40 graduate Josh Wolff both have bright futures.
Players like Chris Klein and Kerry Zavagnin may not be answer to Bruce Arena’s problems, but their play against Mexico was a testament to the rising level of play in MLS.
Player development isn’t only Arena’s best hope for the future. It’s also MLS’s biggest asset.