The article below was forwarded on to me by Western Michigan University coach Stu Riddle, who found an Evening Times report by Thomas Jordan that references Maurice Edu paving the way for positive exposure of the American game over in Scotland.
ONE was reared in arguably the most famous footballing institution in the world, surrounded by the best players on the planet.
The other served his apprenticeship in a country where football - or soccer - isn't even close to being the top sport.
Yet last weekend, it was American Maurice Edu who emerged from his Old Firm debut as top dog over former Barcelona kid Marc Crosas.
Edu was hailed for his part in Rangers' 1-0 triumph as Crosas failed to hit the mark in his first experience of the fixture from the start.
Having spent most of this season as a bit-part player, the £2.5million signing from Major League Soccer side Toronto FC has exploded on to the Ibrox stage at a time when the stakes could not be higher.
Thrown into the SPL maelstrom out of necessity as Barry Ferguson's ill-advised conduct forced him to drop out of the team, Edu has now started his side's last six matches.
And it is perhaps no coincidence that Walter Smith's side have banked maximum points from every one to storm back into contention for the title as well as secure a Scottish Cup Final place.
So was Edu's successful display in the Old Firm cauldron as much of a success for the MLS coaching system in the States as it was for the 22-year-old midfielder?
Former Morton, Chelsea, Falkirk, Hibs and St Mirren defender Joe McLaughlin now runs soccericonUSA and spends his time luring players from Britain to America on scholarships to bolster the emerging scene Stateside.
In the past, Rangers well were served by American imports such as Claudio Reyna and they forked out £750,000 on DaMarcus Beasley last summer.
But McLaughlin believes Edu is now among the first of several stars and stripes kids who will successfully make the transition to foreign shores and become a new generation of American idols.
He said: "Maurice's performance at the weekend certainly seems to have attracted a fair bit of attention and, having watched some of his previous displays as well, I certainly feel he is showing just how good a player he is.
"He has had to bide his time, but it is obvious he has been picking up as much as he possibly can during that time.
"To come in at this stage of the season and perform consistently well for Rangers in the middle of the park only confirms how big a talent he is.
"Old Firm matches are where Celtic and Rangers players prove themselves. If you can handle that fixture, and especially one that could determine the outcome of the championship, then you can pretty much handle anything."
While many would look at Edu's switch from the MLS to the SPL as a major step up for the young midfielder, McLaughlin insists the player has been brought up in top quality facilities and under the careful eye of some of the most astute coaches in the States.
"You have got to see the facilities the colleges in America have to offer to believe it," explained the Inverclyde man.
"I'm not being funny, but the facilities Edu would have used at the University of Maryland would have been better than what Murray Park has to offer.
"Most major colleges have a stadium with a capacity of around 70,000, which host the American football matches and they have the best training pitches and gyms.
"There will be around 10 physiotherapists looking after the players and extremely respected coaches.
"In some cases, the head soccer coach at a particular college has moved to become an MLS manager and the standard of player at these colleges is very high.
"The top college sides in American would beat most First Division clubs over here and some clubs in the lower reaches of the SPL.
"So, even though Edu was at college and was also working towards a degree, he was basically living life as a professional footballer."
One huge advantage in signing a player who has come through such a route is their attitude, according to McLaughlin.
He declared: "American players always show a great desire to work hard, to learn and to conduct themselves in the proper manner.
"Davie Weir, who I played with at Falkirk, came through the American college system and he is as good a professional as you'll come across.
"Look at Andy Dorman. He has turned out to be a fantastic find for St Mirren and now they could be about to make big money on him.
"There are other players in America who would do fantastic jobs for SPL clubs but the problem, of course, is trying to secure work permits for them as they need to have played a vast amount of international matches in the last couple of years."
McLaughlin hopes Edu's progress at Rangers will help tempt Scottish kids to consider trying to come through the American college system themselves.
He said: "There are guys who haven't quite made the grade at clubs here in Britain, but moved out there, got a degree and became far better players in the process. Dorman is the perfect example of that.
"I'm always looking for players who have maybe been freed by clubs here in Scotland and, providing they meet the requirements, then it could be a fantastic opportunity for them."
