"Without a doubt it's an organizational aspiration - ultimately, I think we all feel that for the game to really be relevant and really be successful in this country, we need to develop American players and American stars," Graham told me. "From our standpoint, there's no sense, organizationally, to sort of set the bar at a lower standard. Try to create players that can play at the highest levels. The highest level means, ultimately, someone who can represent the U.S. national team."