It seems as if your primary goal is the creation of a system that is most likely to result in a MNT that is as good as it can possibly be, whether or not that system is in the best interests of the broader "elite" youth soccer community. That would not be my priority.

The current system allows exposure of many more kids to college coaches (D1,D2,D3) than what you propose. I'm not sure what "rinky dink" cups you're talking about. I do know that our club teams (CUFC and CESA) play some of the best teams in the country, and frequently beat them, and frequently do so in front of lots of college coaches.

I guess we can agree to disagree. I'll end the threadjack here. We can take this up again in another thread.

Cheers.