When I said what I said, I was coming at it from the idea of an alternate universe where soccer is a part of US culture the way it is in Brazil or Argentina or Germany.

At the same time, scouting in the US is getting a lot more thorough, so the world you’re describing might not be as far off as it seems. There are many scouts who go watch pickup games in areas with lots of immigrants, for example. And the academy paradigm has at least gotten on the road to somewhat emulating the European approach.