USA vs Holland - Welcome to the series where I start diving into specific differences between cultures. In this scenario, I discuss a specific club in Holland that is producing elite talent through their academy: AZ Alkmaar. For example, their captain is an academy graduate who is 22-years old. Their top goal-scorer is a 19-year-old academy graduate.

AZ actually has an objective of at least 50% of their first-team squad members to be academy graduates. In the 2019-2020 season, they smashed it with 67%.