Few types of soccer players gain universal admiration quite like those who rise through the lower-divisions to stardom. Every young non-league player in England takes inspiration from the paths of Jamie Vardy and Ian Wright. Mathieu Valbuena began his career in the French third division; Miroslav Klose made his debut in the German fifth division and didn’t appear in the Bundesliga until he was 22. Shinji Kagawa and Park Ji-Sung both kicked off their careers in the Japanese second division.



All of these stars’ careers hit similar benchmarks: they took their lumps and refined their skills outside of top-flight football and the public eye, worked their way up the ranks, and ultimately represented their countries at the international level. Even without being trained by a storied club’s academy, they eventually reached their full potential.



Finding those stories in the United States can prove to be a trickier proposition. While many will point to...