If non-high school teams are such a big deal in other sports, then tell me which AAU team did LeBron James play for? Which club volleyball team did Logan Tom play for? Which club track team did Maurice Greene run for? When a baseball player gets drafted, do they mention his Legion team?

College coaches were willing to drive hours to watch LeBron play a high school game... The best football recruit is the Clausen kid from California. All of his hype is based on high school results. Top baseball recruits year in and year out are based on high school stats.

The fact is that soccer, more than any other sport, relys on club results to evaluate players. Playing for top clubs costs money. This leads to US soccer having the stigma.