New York City FC has taken another stride toward becoming a force of Major League Soccer by announcing the launch of a new youth academy.   

The club revealed on Tuesday its intention to craft "one of the leading youth talent development centres in the United States," with sporting director Claudio Reyna quoted by the club's official website as saying:

I couldn’t be happier to announce our new Academy. We have been building the foundations over the past months to get us ready to launch the Academy and everything has come together to ensure that sustainable youth development can be at the heart of our Club. It is particularly pleasing for me to be involved with our Academy. I am passionate about developing young players; something I was very proud to be involved with as Youth Technical Director of the US Soccer Federation.

This is another critical step as we build New York City FC. This is a Club, not just a team and we want to develop a long and sustainable future, rooted in our community. We want to show the world how much young talent there is in and around New York and make sure we are playing an active and enthusiastic role in nurturing it.

Ex-United States international Reyna goes on to emphasise that New York City FC still has a long way to go before achieving its MLS goals, touching on the desire to establish a style of its own.

Nick Chavez of Soccer Newsday shared his thoughts on the announcement:

This news comes just four weeks after the club's official Twitter account announced three new youth affiliate clubs would be joining its ranks. New York City FC now has 11 affiliate clubs in New Jersey, Long Island and other surrounding boroughs:   

Having lured former Spanish international David Villa to the club's ranks last summer and with Frank Lampard set to arrive later this year, per Bob Williams of The Telegraph, first-team stars are already present in the squad.

However, nurturing young talent is an aspect that sometimes goes undervalued when a club can invest heavily in the market, something the City Football Group ownership may allow New York City FC to do.

With the franchise poised to compete in its maiden MLS season this year, New York City FC is only at the start of its journey toward rising through the American ranks.   

However, Reyna's confidence in developing a next generation of Major League Soccer stars suggests the club already has its sights set on creating a long-term outlook from the very beginning.

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