From FIFA career mode to reality: Four facts on Kaka-inspired USMNT rising star Xander Newstead after 15-year-old midfielder signed his first Ajax contract

There are few clubs that are better at developing talent than Ajax. How many of the game's best have walked through the club's halls in Amsterdam? From legends like Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Dennis Bergkamp, and Frank Rijkaard to modern stars like Christian Eriksen, Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt, and Ryan Gravenberch, there are few better places to start your career than Ajax.

Several Americans have walked those halls, too. Sergino Dest is the most notable example, even if he now plays at rivals PSV. Old heads will remember John O'Brien's time at the club, too. Now, there's an American impact on the women's side, too, with Lily Yohannes emerging as one of the world's best young players after breaking through with the club.

Could there be another American breakthrough on the horizon, though? Meet Xander Newstead, the American starlet in Ajax's academy who has just taken a significant leap at soccer's best talent developer. Just 15, the midfielder recently signed his first professional contract at Ajax, taking him one step further as he continues his fledgling career.

But who is Newstead? How did he get to Ajax? Who does he model his game after? GOAL takes a look at the young American midfielder...