If the club existed almost anywhere else in the world, it would have received a six-figure payment when Tottenham Hotspur bought DeAndre Yedlin from Major League Soccer. Instead, because MLS and U.S. Soccer do not make or enforce so-called “solidarity payments” to the clubs that help players develop into future professionals, Crossfire Premier, the club that trained DeAndre Yedlin until he signed his first professional contract with the Seattle Sounders, received nothing.



That could be about to change. Today, a five-member panel from FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Center was scheduled to review a petition from Crossfire Premier arguing that the club is entitled to collect solidarity payments for its contribution to Yedlin’s development. A ruling could come as soon as Friday, and if the panel rules in Crossfire’s favor, it will have immense ramifications for soccer in the United States.



Not only would Crossfire be entitled to a substantial sum...