I found this article on ESPN's soccernet. It talks about the lack of a solid US candidate for the FIFA Young Player Award and examines if the college soccer system prevents the US from developing any such players.
It doesn't offer any conclusive or ground-breaking ideas but it examines an interesting point.
Here it is:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=354224&root=us&cc=5901
