There's definitely a subculture of kids and families of all races/nationalities that engage with soccer that way. Kids know Messi, Cristiano, Dempsey, Chicharito, etc. They watch soccer on TV and on YouTube. They kick the ball around with family. They know kids who are in pro academies. They fully understand if they're winning or losing and if someone is better than them. The missing piece seems to be the supporting a local team at live games part. And, obviously, that's a big part. Chicken : Egg
FWIW, Landon Donovan started playing soccer at age 2 after his older brother started playing AYSO. Landon played AYSO exclusively until he was 10. He then played club and AYSO until he was 14.
The key word is most, when you have huge participation rates even a minority population size can be gigantic. The key problem with AYSO is the lack of quality coaches. AYSO tries to make soccer available for all and does so by relying on volunteers. By definition they are on average not going to have the training that professional coaches can be required to have. I find it ironic that attendance at live matches is considered essential yet some here decry the support that the Galaxy gives to have children and their parents attend games because it diminishes their desire for an urban hipster environment.
Good point. And I'm not trying to dis AYSO at all. Your point about kids at Galaxy matches is a good one, also. Those experiences, the youth teams getting to play on those fields in front of spectators, getting to meet pro players and big stars, is super-valuable for instilling both knowledge and passion for the game in the next generation.
I would like to see USSF sponsor free camps for kids under 10 using college players as the instructors. The college players would need to attend free instructors classes or get a youth coaching license at a minimum. Tying the coaching salary to the license level of the the college players would provide some incentive for some college players to get more advanced licenses. Paying the coaches and paying for the equipment wouldn't be cheap, but the geographic diversity of colleges would make the camps far more available then the usual pay camps. Over the long term, the number of trained coaches would go up substantially. Ideally, I would like to see colleges with soccer teams sponsor youth teams.