Yet again this year, Spain is dominating Europe. Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid are in the Champions League semifinals, giving Spain two of the final four for the sixth straight year.

Meanwhile, Sevilla and Villarreal are in the semifinals of the Europa League; Sevilla is gunning for a third consecutive title in Europe's second-tier championship, and either team could give Spain its fifth Europa League title in seven years.

Barcelona and Real Madrid's successes can be explained by citing their financial advantages, with both ranking annually among the world's richest clubs. It's harder to understand, though, why teams such as Sevilla and Villarreal seem to brush aside the rest of Europe so easily, or why Atletico Madrid can take a payroll less than half of the Big Two's and annually compete for the La Liga title.

At the core, it seems to come down to a league structure that is built to develop young players into solid professionals.

Much has been made of the Spanish youth development system, especially the club academies, such as the famous La Masia academy at Barcelona. There, youngsters learn the Barcelona way of playing soccer, and spend their time working on technical skills and playing small-sided games, rather than trying to win endless full-sided games against other clubs.

Less is made, though, of a league system that is designed to take those skillful young players and test them with games against senior teams. The reserve teams of La Liga's clubs are allowed to play separately within the Spanish soccer league system, and most of the "B" and "C" sides of the big clubs are in the third and fourth division.

As a consequence, young players at Spanish clubs are playing games for keeps, while similar-aged players in other countries are struggling at the highest level or going out on loan to teams in other leagues, away from the home club. Minneapolis native Mukwelle Akale, who is in Villarreal's youth academy, played this season for the team's Under-19 team. Were he in America, he'd be playing college soccer; were he in England, he might be a candidate to be loaned to a lower-division team. In Spain, he is hoping for a chance with Villarreal C, in the fourth division, or even Villarreal B, in the third. He'll stay with the club, but have a chance to play against other senior teams — a boon for his development.

Spain also has a less egalitarian distribution of revenue than most European leagues, which helps reinforce the richest teams — allowing them to supplement this development system, perhaps the best in the world, with plenty of other superstars. Put all the pieces together, and it's been enough to turn Spain's best clubs into an all-conquering European force, a position that the country seems unlikely to relinquish soon.

Soccer notes

• Quietly, Liverpool seems to be finding its stride, as new manager Jurgen Klopp completes his first partial season in charge. The Reds have won six of eight in the Premier League, and beat Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League quarterfinals by scoring three goals in the final half-hour of the second leg. This season has made anything seem possible in the Premier League — why not install Liverpool as the early favorites for 2016-17?
• Minnesota United plays New York tonight, which will be the latest reminder of a fact the Loons would like to forget: They have never beaten the Cosmos. With Minnesota potentially leaving next season for MLS, it may have as few as three chances left to rectify that record.
• Gophers women's soccer needs to find the back of the net more often, so the team's spring results are encouraging. Minnesota scored three goals in a draw with Missouri, then put seven past North Dakota in its second-to-last game of the spring. The team closes out the schedule against North Dakota State at 1 p.m. Sunday at home.

What to watch

Bundesliga: Bayern Munich at Hertha Berlin, 8:30 a.m. Saturday, FS2. Fourth-place Hertha has had a rough go of things in recent seasons, but a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2000 is within the team's grasp. With only a four-point cushion over fifth place, a visit from probable league champions Bayern will be a challenge.

FA Cup: Everton vs Manchester United, 11:15 a.m. Saturday, FS2. It's been a disappointing year for both clubs. Everton is mired in the middle of the pack, and Manchester United may miss out on the Champions League. The winner of this semifinal, though, probably will be the favorite to lift the FA Cup, and a trophy is never anything to sneeze at.

La Liga: Malaga at Atletico Madrid, 11:15 a.m. Saturday, beIN Sports. In the La Liga title race, it's hard not to root for Atletico Madrid. While Real Madrid and Barcelona hoover up the lion's share of the revenue in Spain, Atletico keeps plugging away — thanks in part to the continent's best defense. It's tied for the league lead, a second title in three years is within Atletico's grasp.

MLS: Sporting KC at San Jose, 2:30 p.m. Sunday, FS1. Sporting KC is expected to be among the class of the Western Conference, but despite playing well, the team has dropped two matches in a row. It won't be any easier for them in San Jose, where the Earthquakes keep rolling along thanks to the ageless Chris Wondolowski, who leads Major League Soccer with six goals.

Writer Jon Marthaler gives you a recap of recent events and previews the week ahead. He can be reached at jmarthaler@gmail.com.