"We have the Home Depot Center in Carson, south of Los Angeles," Tim Leiweke explained. "With some additional work, it could become the base for the first academy."
The venue was already one of the strongest football facilities in the United States.
Its main stadium held around twenty-seven thousand spectators, while the surrounding complex contained several additional competition areas and nine training pitches. The location was equally attractive, sitting within one of Southern California's busiest sporting and commercial regions.
AEG's proposal was ambitious.
Once fully established, the academy could provide organised coaching programmes for as many as fifteen thousand children between the ages of eight and fifteen each year.
Because the structure of youth sport in the United States differed greatly from Europe, the academy would not begin as a traditional full-time residential system.
Instead, the initial model would work around the American school calendar.
During term time, most sessions would take place at weekends.
During school holidays, the academy would organise five-day and ten-day intensive camps.
The longer-term goal was to develop a more permanent programme within two or three years, once the coaching network, recruitment structure and local partnerships had matured.
Ethan considered the proposal carefully.
AEG possessed enormous advantages.
The group already controlled or held significant interests in several Major League Soccer organisations and had extensive experience operating stadiums, sporting events and entertainment businesses throughout the United States.
It had the land.
It had the venues.
It had local political and commercial connections.
It understood the American market.
What it did not possess was New Manchester United's footballing credibility.
Newton Heath's development system had become one of the most admired in Europe.
The club had produced or developed Messi, Ronaldo, Curtis, Michael Johnson, Ishmael Miller and a growing list of other elite prospects.
That reputation carried considerable weight with parents and young players.
AEG wanted access to that expertise.
It also wanted to make money from it.
Ethan had no objection to that.
A partnership in which only one side benefited would never last.
But he had one absolute condition.
Commercial ambition could not be allowed to turn the academy into an expensive summer camp designed primarily to sell the New Manchester United name to wealthy families.
The club had built its reputation by taking development seriously.
That could not change simply because the market was American.
"We're happy for the programme to make money," Ethan told Leiweke. "But the football has to come first."
"The prices need to remain sensible, and talented players can't be excluded because their families aren't wealthy."
Leiweke nodded.
He had dealt with Ethan often enough to know that this was not an opening position designed for negotiation.
It was a principle.
New Manchester United had never opposed commercialisation.
The club itself had become exceptionally good at it.
But Ethan consistently drew a line between using football commercially and allowing commercial interests to dictate the football.
The academy would have to fit the club's philosophy, not merely carry its badge.
The details still required further negotiation, but the broader partnership was agreed.
Over the following five years, New Manchester United and AEG intended to establish football academies in five major American cities.
Los Angeles would come first.
New York, Washington, Chicago and Houston were also included in the plan.
The partnership would extend beyond youth development.
AEG would assist New Manchester United with a broader range of American commercial projects, including retail, events and local marketing.
One of the most immediate plans was the opening of an official New Manchester United flagship store in the United States.
It would be the club's first permanent retail operation outside Britain.
AEG wanted to help locate, promote and operate the store.
Mark Davey and the commercial department had already considered such an arrangement before Ethan arrived in Los Angeles.
A partner with AEG's network could accelerate New Manchester United's North American expansion considerably.
Ethan's concern, again, was control over the brand.
He did not want official shops appearing in poor locations, selling cheap merchandise under the club's name or turning the Red Rebels identity into something indistinguishable from any other licensed sporting property.
Leiweke understood.
After several previous projects with New Manchester United, AEG had learned how demanding the club could be about sponsors, presentation and commercial partners.
That selectiveness was frustrating at times.
It was also part of what made the brand valuable.
New Manchester United rarely attached its name to a company it did not trust.
Most of its major sponsors were leaders in their industries.
The commercial opportunities created by that reputation were precisely why AEG wanted a deeper relationship.
Leiweke agreed to Ethan's conditions and promised support for several other projects New Manchester United was considering in the United States.
One of those was the club's planned television channel.
New Manchester United had been discussing the project with Granada Television.
Premier League broadcasting agreements prevented the club from simply showing live league matches whenever it pleased, so the proposed subscription channel would concentrate on content the league's television contracts did not cover.
Player interviews.
Training-ground features.
Academy programmes.
Historical documentaries.
Tactical discussions.
Behind-the-scenes footage.
Supporter features.
Pre-season content.
The aim was to give supporters more access to the club without interfering with existing broadcast agreements.
The commercial department was developing physical businesses as well.
New Manchester United's stadium food had unexpectedly become one of the most praised aspects of the matchday experience.
Even travelling supporters regularly complimented the pies, sausages, filled rolls and other food available around the ground.
Mark Davey's department saw an opportunity.
Why keep those products inside a stadium?
The club was preparing a chain of football-themed restaurants built around the same identity.
Britain would come first.
If the concept worked, expansion into continental Europe, North America and Asia could follow.
Ethan viewed the restaurants much as he had once viewed the commercial property surrounding New Manchester United's stadium.
They would never produce the spectacular one-off returns of winning the Champions League.
That was not the point.
A football club could not rely on winning major trophies every year.
Stable commercial businesses offered dependable income regardless of whether the team finished first or fourth.
That revenue could support the football operation, the academy, charitable programmes and other long-term projects.
AEG was interested in the restaurant concept as well.
New Manchester United's American following skewed young, and the club already had strong links with entertainment and technology brands.
The recently announced work with Apple increased that appeal further.
Special New Manchester United editions and branded products were already being discussed within future Apple collaborations.
Once a football club developed a sufficiently strong identity, almost everything connected to it acquired commercial potential.
Restaurants.
Coffee shops.
Traditional English-style pubs.
Official stores.
Training academies.
Digital subscriptions.
Events.
The challenge was not finding opportunities.
It was deciding which opportunities strengthened the club rather than cheapened it.
Ethan and Leiweke spent much of the meeting discussing that distinction.
By the time they finished, the broad framework was settled.
The commercial teams could handle the contractual details.
Ethan then went to find Ricardo Moniz and René Meulensteen.
New Manchester United already operated or supported football-development programmes in Africa, South America and Europe.
The facilities differed from country to country, but the technical philosophy remained consistent.
The Los Angeles academy would need to follow the same principles.
That meant Moniz and Meulensteen would have to be involved.
Ethan explained the partnership and asked whether they could spare time during the tour to inspect the proposed facilities and advise AEG's local staff.
Both agreed immediately.
Neither man had forgotten where his career had been before New Manchester United.
A few years earlier, they had been talented coaches searching for the right environment.
Now their work at Newton Heath was being studied across Europe.
Their emphasis on close control, technique, one-on-one ability, small-sided games and constant work with the ball had become central to New Manchester United's academy identity.
Major European clubs had already attempted to recruit them to run their own youth systems.
Both men had refused.
They were well paid.
They had enormous freedom.
More importantly, they believed in the project they were building.
Their own reputations had grown alongside New Manchester United.
Neither felt any desire to walk away simply because larger traditional clubs had finally noticed them.
Once Ethan finished with the two Dutch coaches, he headed towards the training ground to see Mourinho and the squad.
He had barely spent time with them since the end of the season.
The players had gone on holiday.
The coaching staff had disappeared for their own break.
Now the group was finally together again.
The reunion involved plenty of jokes, conversations about holidays and the inevitable complaints about pre-season conditioning.
New Manchester United were training at a university facility in Los Angeles.
The arrival of the European champions quickly attracted students and local supporters.
Mourinho saw no reason to hide the early sessions.
There was little serious tactical work to conceal at this stage of pre-season, so the sessions remained open to spectators and accredited media.
The emphasis was overwhelmingly on the ball.
Rui Faria and the performance department had designed the programme carefully.
The players needed to rebuild match fitness without being subjected to endless long-distance running that bore little resemblance to football.
Most conditioning work therefore came through possession drills, small-sided games and carefully controlled exercises with the ball.
Sessions lasted roughly ninety minutes.
The players worked hard.
The supporters watching from the touchline enjoyed almost every minute.
At the end of each session, the club deliberately left time for interaction.
Autographs.
Photographs.
Short conversations.
Children were sometimes allowed closer to the pitch under supervision.
Club staff also filmed selected portions of training and uploaded edited footage to New Manchester United's official digital channels.
None of those gestures was particularly complicated.
Together, they made supporters feel considerably closer to the team.
While New Manchester United settled into Los Angeles, several of the players missing from Mourinho's squad were finishing a very different summer in the Netherlands.
The FIFA World Youth Championship had just ended.
Argentina were champions.
And Lionel Messi had been the star of the tournament.
The final brought Argentina against Nigeria, which also meant several New Manchester United teammates found themselves on opposite sides.
Messi and Agüero led Argentina's attack.
Mikel was at the heart of Nigeria's midfield.
Argentina eventually won 2-1.
Messi scored both goals.
By the end of the tournament he had collected both of its major individual honours.
Golden Boot.
Golden Ball.
Six goals made him the leading scorer.
His overall performances made him the tournament's outstanding player.
For anyone who had watched him at New Manchester United, the quality was hardly surprising.
What changed in the Netherlands was the size of the audience.
Supporters who had only heard about the teenager now saw him dominating the best young players in international football.
Reports praised the same qualities Mourinho had already been exploiting at club level.
His acceleration over the first few metres was exceptional.
He changed direction without appearing to lose speed.
His balance allowed him to ride challenges that should have knocked him off the ball.
His awareness was far more mature than his age suggested.
He could receive facing goal or with a defender behind him.
He combined quickly.
He passed accurately at speed.
And once he entered the penalty area, he showed a calmness that seemed almost unnatural for a teenager.
The press began reaching for increasingly extravagant descriptions.
Prodigy.
Wonderkid.
The tournament's great discovery.
Some compared his potential with Ronaldinho's.
New Manchester United had heard it all before.
The difference was that the rest of the world was catching up.
Messi's awards did not make the tournament a one-man show.
Mikel had been outstanding for Nigeria.
He controlled matches from midfield, protected the defence and moved the ball with a composure that attracted praise throughout the competition.
Nigeria fell just short in the final, but Mikel still received the Silver Ball as the tournament's second-best player.
Taye Taiwo also emerged as one of Nigeria's major performers.
His power, athleticism and attacking threat from left-back attracted attention from clubs across Europe.
England's tournament ended in the semi-finals.
Argentina eliminated them narrowly.
Even so, the campaign was considered a major success.
Ishmael Miller scored five goals and finished just behind Messi in the scoring standings.
His performances also earned him the Bronze Ball.
For years, Ishmael's physical gifts had been obvious.
He was tall.
Powerful.
Extremely quick for a player of his size.
What impressed observers in the Netherlands was how much more complete he had become.
He did not merely overpower defenders.
His movement had improved.
He could receive to feet.
He could turn.
He could carry the ball at speed.
He combined intelligently with midfield runners.
And when opportunities arrived, he finished with increasing composure.
The English press quickly began discussing him alongside Rooney as one of the country's most exciting young forwards.
New Manchester United were more cautious.
They knew what Ishmael still had to improve.
But there was no denying the progress.
Agüero also received enormous attention.
He and Messi had formed a devastating partnership for Argentina.
The two teenagers moved naturally around one another, alternately dropping short and threatening the space behind the defence.
Messi received the major individual prizes.
Agüero did not.
That hardly diminished his tournament.
His close control, sharp changes of direction, imagination and willingness to attack defenders marked him as another player with elite potential.
The Argentine press quickly began calling Messi and Agüero the country's new attacking twins.
Fàbregas's tournament ended earlier.
Spain were eliminated in the quarter-finals, which damaged his chances of receiving one of the main awards.
Individually, however, his performances drew widespread praise.
At New Manchester United he was already regarded as one of Beckham's possible long-term successors in midfield.
The World Youth Championship showed why.
He played with the maturity of somebody several years older.
He controlled tempo.
He recognised when a match needed to be accelerated and when possession needed to be slowed.
His passing between the lines was exceptional.
So was his ability to see runs before they fully developed.
Several of his through balls were described by the Spanish press as the work of a senior international rather than a youth player.
Michael Johnson offered a very different style.
If Fàbregas embodied the technical Spanish midfielder, Johnson looked unmistakably English in his physical approach.
He enjoyed contact.
He covered enormous distances.
He attacked second balls.
But describing him merely as an energetic midfielder missed much of his quality.
Johnson could carry possession through midfield at speed.
He had developed a much better understanding of rhythm.
He possessed an excellent long-range shot.
His set pieces were dangerous.
Most importantly, he increasingly knew when to use his physical strength and when to let the ball do the work.
England had built much of their midfield around him.
By the end of the tournament, his reputation had risen almost as sharply as Ishmael's.
When European newspapers and television analysts published their lists of the ten most exciting players from the competition, New Manchester United's influence was impossible to ignore.
Messi was there.
Agüero was there.
Mikel was there.
Ishmael was there.
Fàbregas was there.
Michael Johnson was there.
Six of the ten most celebrated prospects in the tournament belonged to the European champions.
The statistic immediately became a story of its own.
Some of those players could hardly be called unknown prospects anymore.
Messi had played important Champions League matches.
Fàbregas had already appeared regularly for the first team.
Mikel and Michael Johnson had both been involved at senior level.
Agüero was already considered a major talent inside Newton Heath.
Ishmael had first-team experience of his own.
Yet their performances in the Netherlands demonstrated something broader.
New Manchester United's youth and recruitment system was not producing one exceptional player by accident.
It was producing them repeatedly.
One major newspaper described Messi as the third young New Manchester United attacker in quick succession to receive the label of generational talent, following Kaká and Ronaldo.
The wording was exaggerated, but the wider point was difficult to dismiss.
Kaká had developed into one of the best players in Europe.
Ronaldo was rapidly approaching the same level.
Messi now looked capable of following them.
And behind him was another group.
The analysis soon moved beyond individual names.
One newspaper wrote that the 2005 World Youth Championship had effectively become a showcase for New Manchester United's development system.
Six of the ten most highly rated young players were connected to the club.
That was an extraordinary concentration of talent.
The article argued that New Manchester United's rise could no longer sensibly be dismissed as a short-term miracle.
The club had climbed from the lower reaches of English football.
It had won the Premier League.
It had won consecutive UEFA Cups.
Then, in its first Champions League campaign, it had become champion of Europe.
Critics could call one trophy fortunate.
They could call a particular transfer lucky.
It was much harder to explain away an entire generation of elite young players emerging through the same structure.
The conclusion was unavoidable.
New Manchester United had not simply built a great team.
They had built a system capable of replacing it.
And for the rest of Europe, that possibility was considerably more frightening.
The World Youth Championship was over.
The excitement surrounding it was only beginning.
From Europe to North America and far beyond, football supporters were suddenly asking the same question.
If these were the players New Manchester United already had coming through, what would the Red Rebels look like in another three or four years?
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)