European Methods on an Argentine League Budget

Toya Sarno Jordan for The New York Times

AVELLANEDA, Argentina — Partially obscured by a rusting rack of weights, the back wall of the gym at Racing Club’s youth academy has been painted dark blue and daubed with symbols.

On one side are four bright, color-coded dots; on the other, four numbered yellow circles. Rising from the floor are two miniature depictions of goal posts, no more than a foot wide; fixed at the top are two hooks, looped with string, a ball hanging from each.

Diego Huerta, an assistant at the academy and one of the club’s scouts, walks past with barely a glance, stopping only when he registers the confused looks. At Borussia Dortmund, he explains, the academy boasts a…