Comparing the soccer landscape in the United States between when he turned professional and the present day, FC Cincinnati Coach John Harkes said in an in-depth interview with AmericanSoccerNow.com the sport’s current structure now offers a depth of opportunity players in previous generations missed out on.

“There were a lot of players in our generation that were looking to play at a higher level and challenge themselves and see where it could take them,” Harkes told AmericanSoccerNow.com’s Brian Sciaretta. “If this structure today was in place back then, you would have had far more players stay within the U.S. and honing their skills here. Although some will still always have that ambition to go overseas. For me, it worked out very well and I was able to break through as an American player in the Premier League.

“But the tiered structure is fantastic. There is a place to play for everybody. There is a level for everybody at any age.”