Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel has hit out at the American youth development system. "The system is broken in the U.S.," says Friedel as he relaxes at Villa's training ground," he told the Daily Mail. "Not least because you actually have to pay to play.

"Columbus Crew are the only club who don't charge their under 18 and under 16 players.

"Some kids are paying as much as $5,000 (£2,500) a year just to play for a decent club team.

"So I decided to build my own academy and it's the first academy in the US that is free of charge. We recruit kids for their talent rather than their ability to pay."

Brad Friedel's Premier Soccer Academies is a remarkable act of philanthropy.

While Friedel has guaranteed the money it took to build the $10.5million (£5.25m) facility, he will never make a penny and even the academy itself is a non-profit making organisation.

Any money made from kids who go on to sign for professional football clubs will be injected back into the business so the academies can expand.

The academy in Cleveland is only in its second year, but there are already plans to build three more.

Two in the U.S. and one in Mexico.