Development of young players..US vs The World.

I'm 45 and I grew up playing soccer. My coach, to me was very good at helping to develop skills and such but that is pretty much the extent of my knowledge. I've only been following the European leagues for a few years but I hear so much about their developmental leagues and so I wondered if there is anything in the US that compares?

What do these developmental leagues do and when do kids enter these programs. Does the US have anything at all for developing young talent?