I think you're exactly right. In an ideal world every kid with the talent and desire would be able to play at whatever level he/she wanted, including college and beyond. I think the problem is more one of logistics than bias. The simple fact is that the college coaches have to harvest the richest fields. For better or worse those fields are found in high level club soccer. They simply don't have the time or resources to spend in other places. My advice to guys and gals who, for whatever reason are not playing that level of club soccer, is to be very aggressive in their marketing of themselves. Send video to coaches - get respected soccer people to send letters of reference and, most importantly, attend camps at schools in which you are interested. Assume that you aren't going to be "discovered" and put yourself in front of those by whom you want to be seen. Finally, I want to reiterate that these kids should not assume that they can't afford high level club. Talk to the clubs and find out what financial assistance is available. They may be pleasantly surprised.
