One by one they’re promoted to the big leagues, their dreams realized in one concise signature.

Such is the charm of the MLS Development Academy club, a system that can bridge a player’s youthful exploits with his professional ambition.

In the three years of existence of the Development Academy, 15 homegrown players have signed with the MLS club that represents their academy program.

Thus far, the results have been mixed.

D.C. United’s Andy Najar, who signed a contract with the senior club in March, has been arguably the system’s most successful prospect, scoring three goals and playing in 17 games during his foray into the MLS.   

Najar aside, thus far the average prospect has been more likely to find the bench than the back of the net.

Guys like Tyler Deric (Houston), Cesar Zamora (Chivas USA) and Giorgi Chirgadze (New York) have yet to reach the field – their visions of grandeur and glory put on hold.

In fairness, the MLS Development Academy club model is a new one, and should be given due process.

But the question remains: Is this the best route to a professional career for an 18-year-old player? Not everyone agrees.

“We’ll have to see over the next few years,” said UC Santa Barbara men’s coach Tim Vom Steeg. “I look at the numbers, and over time we’ll see if we see more players who are successful. At the moment, the track record is not very good.”

The average young talent making the jump from the academy to the MLS has an uphill battle that can only be equalized through years of adjustment.

So would spending that time at the collegiate level be better served?

Barry Gorman, who spent more than 20 years at the helm of the Penn State men’s program, may have answered yes a few years ago, but he is now the Technical Director for FC Dallas and has a much different vision in mind.

“It is (the best route) for the player who is on that level,” Gorman said. “Especially now that we’re ensuring their education is not going to be lacking; we’ve been working hard with the local universities to get the young players college classes. We’re setting up an ideal world where a young player can pursue a professional dream and at the same time get an education.”

Bolstering the case for the MLS route will be the rumored addition of a reserve system next year. This will give new signees a place to play if they aren’t quite ready for the senior squad and don’t want to languish on the bench.

And frankly, that’s what’s been happening to most of the current group the MLS has promoted. A fact that may not bode well for development.

“The great thing about the college environment is if a kid has a terrible freshman year they come right back and are a sophomore the next season,” Vom Steeg said. "Pro is much more cut throat. A lot of times it’s sign and discard if a guy doesn’t develop like they thought he would.”

In the debate between college and the MLS, there is often an alternative that gets lost in the picture: playing abroad.

“In the last World Cup, 19 of our 23 guys came from international clubs,” said PDL coach Jon Spencer, who sends a group a young U.S. players on a tour through Europe each summer. “It’s a great place for a young player to develop and hone their skill level. It’s the dream of many U.S. players to ultimately play on a world stage anyway, so getting a head start is invaluable.”

As the MLS homegrown system picks up steam, the debate rages on.