For four years, Paul Arriola had perhaps the most unusual commute in pro sports. Each work day, he would leave home in suburban San Diego and pass through the world’s busiest land border crossing to report to his Mexican pro soccer team, Club Tijuana.
Russell Canouse, Arriola’s friend from youth national team camps, left Pennsylvania Dutch Country at age 15 and relocated to a village of 3,200 in southwestern Germany to launch his soccer career.
Both chased dreams abroad, where soccer’s development, infrastructure and, in many cases, financial reward are decades ahead of their home country. But as the sport has blossomed here, some young Americans with global ambitions are taking a second look at MLS.