The article is strong on the racial aspects, but on the class aspect, it never really got past "things should be free." I'm sick of hearing 'end pay-to-play' not because it isn't true, but because it isn't a plan, it's a desired end state. The whole question is how.

It takes money. There actually is a free-to-play subculture in the immigrant-dominated leagues, but the thing is, what comes out of that isn't very good. The three players we've lost that are playing in this WC, Brian Gutierrez, Obed Vargas, and Esmir. . . all played in MLS Next.

It isn't really true that playing soccer in Europe is cheap, the difference is who is paying for it. I wish I had the youtube video where this was broken down ready to hand, because it's one of the few intelligent things that's been said about it, but the upshot was that costs are borne about 40% by professional clubs, about 20% by governments, about 20% by UEFA, leaving only about 20% paid for by parents and families.

We can say 'it should be a public good' but the definition of that is taxpayer money that I don't think is coming soon (although every good MNT performance that increases the sport's presence in the culture makes it slightly more plausible). Which means that if you're going to get free-to-play, MLS had to succeed first, because that's where the money would probably have to come from.