Peter Nowak, the head coach of the expansion Philadelphia Union, plans to bring some European-style development to the Philadelphia area. According to the former Polish national team captain, there are already plans to work with the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association to bring talented youth players in and prepare them for what it takes to play what Nowak called "serious soccer."
"Everything needs to be more intense and that’s what we plan to bring with this academy," said Nowak. "Players need to realize that we [coaches] are here to help them and that we are ultimately trying to help them improve the face of soccer in the U.S. To do that we need to have that European mentality and approach to training and preparation."
Showing some respect for a national team that stunned much of the world in the Confederations Cup, Nowak noted that U.S. Soccer is making strides, but that there is still work to be done. "Don’t get me wrong, there are tons of players that we have here in the U.S. that are world-class guys," said Nowak. "Now, we need to have that domino effect."