If you consider that Bobby Convey, one of the MLS rookies featured in the August 21 issue of Soccer America, was 12 years old when the MLS inaugural game took place, youÆre reminded the league has a bit of history to it.
YouÆre also forced to credit the 5-year-old league for having the foresight, in its early days, to create Project-40.
In September of 1996 ù the league was five months old, Convey was 13 ù MLS launched a joint venture with the U.S. Soccer Federation. The league unveiled a program for young players that provided a professional soccer environment and promised them funds for higher education.
Sunil Gulati was the driving force behind Project-40. In 1996 he was MLS deputy commissioner, and for all of his adult life he has been deeply commited to improving the U.S. national team program.
Steve Sampson was national team coach and Bruce Arena was D.C. United and U.S. Olympic team coach. Kevin Payne was ù and still is ù president of D.C. United.
These four men met in the nationÆs capital after the Americans, stocked mostly with college players, were eliminated from the 1996 Olympic tournament, a U-23 competition. They came out of the session with a blueprint for the program that has signed 46 players since March 1997.
Thirteen Pro-40 players never attended college. The majority played two or three years of college ball.
Sixteen of them have graduated to regular MLS contracts. Six have been waived. The rest are still in the program, and most of the 46 have contributed to their MLS teams.
Four of them, including Convey, were members of the U.S. team that finished fourth in the 1999 U-17 World Cup.
The programÆs early success should inspire MLS to increase its investment in Project-40.