Landon Donovan began playing youth soccer with the Upland Celtics when he was nine years old and discovered he loved the game.

Pursuing that interest proved to be a daunting task, however.

There were few, if any, role models for him to look up to or emulate and soccer still was in its growing stages in this country.

But there is no doubting the game's popularity now. All he had to do Thursday was look at the 30-plus new members of the Galaxy Youth Academy who watched the parent club train to see how far the sport has come.

What's important now, he said, was for these young players to take advantage of the opportunity. Donovan spoke to the academy members for about 10 minutes after training and got a round of applause when he was finished.

"This kind of chance certainly didn't come around for me," he said. "I told them, first of all, to enjoy it. I also told them you don't get to where we are by continuing to do the things you're good at. Most of the guys here work on the things they're not good at. That's not always the fun part of it, but that's what it takes."

The Galaxy Youth Academy, which features U-16, U-18 and U-20 teams, is run by Galaxy assistant coach Trevor James and his wife, Tiffany, and features many of the finest young players in southern California. The academy also made history last November when Tristen Bowen became the first player in MLS history to be signed by a club directly from its youth academy. Bowen, currently on loan to Miami of the USL's First Division, also is a member of the U.S. U-20 national team.

James doesn't know if there were any future Bowens in attendance Thursday, but there was no mistaking their curiousity and enthusiasm. Thursday marked the players' first official day in the academy after earlier going through practices and tryouts. They signed what is known as a "ode of conduct," under which they will abide by club rules and conduct themselves as professionals, had their photos taken and underwent some physical testing according to U.S. Soccer guidelines.

"We use today as a way to get them to see a little bit of the inside and what's going to be expected of them," Jones said.

James knows what that entails from first-hand experience. He went through the youth system at England's Ipswich Town and went on to play in Norway and, finally, with the Los Angeles Lazers of the old Major Indoor Soccer League.

"I understand very much what they're going through," he said. "It's something I've brought with me, part of learning not only the game but how to conduct yourself on and off the field. Discipline and respect are what I'm trying to bring into our program and the Galaxy academy."

Ritchie Gonzalez, a U-18 member from San Bernardino, said the Galaxy academy "is the place to be."

"You get treated professionally ... you're going to experience a lot more stuff," he said. "I've wanted to come to this program for a long time. This is what I want to do; it's been a dream ever since I started kicking a ball around."

Another member of the U-18s, Riley Wolfe of nearby Manhattan Beach, said the Galaxy's academy operations are "spot on."

"They make it easy for us," he said. "I'm excited. I have a future set in my head of what I want to do. I want to go to college and do all that, but I also want to see where the professional thing takes me. I'm really excited to see where it goes."

Two U-16 members, Corona's Jesus Rochin and Calabasas' Scott Cohen, said joining the academy marked the first step in what they hope will be the realization of a dream.

"I would love to play professionally,'' Cohen said. "I'm hoping to give it a shot and see where it takes me."

"This is a good opportunity to be around professionals, better players," Rochin said. "Watching them practice today kind of gives me an idea of what it's going to take."

One thing Jones and his staff won't have to worry about from their young charges is their loyalty to the Galaxy. Mention Chivas to any of them, and they shake their heads in disgust.

"I can't stand them," Wolfe said. "Just blue, white and gold shirts for me."