However, hoping that the shear large numbers of US soccer players will overcome the loss of many of their most skilled players. It only takes about 25 big league division one players to make up a top national team and they range in ages from about 20 to 32. Ten years ago, the US might have had 5 big league division one players (the MLS is a small league division one league); today there are probably more than 20 and, at the current rate of youth soccer expansion, in another 10 years there could be 60 to 80.
With a pool that large we will be on the same footing as Italy, Germany, France, England etc.
And it will help MLS to move into the ranks of a big league division one league.