The U.S. is a sports-thirsty country — arguably the sports capital of the world. But right now, we're in a state of escalating desperation. There's one sport we can't figure out how to dominate, and it just so happens to be the one beloved by the whole world over.

The growth of Major League Soccer as a domestic league will continue to be a long-played game. Commissioner Don Garber himself admitted on Fox Sports' MLS Opening Night that moves to better the league are taken with as much caution as possible. He expressed his belief that measured, sustainable improvement is more appropriate than headline-grabbing decisions aimed to stiff-arm other competing leagues out of the race toward global relevance.

With this understanding, it's important to separate the trials and tribulations of our domestic league from what's best for our youth talent. Already, the U.S. has young nationals at German holy houses of football — Bobby Wood at Hamburg, Fabian Johnson at Borussia Mönchengladbach, John Brooks at VfL Wolfsburg and, of course, Christian Pulisic at the almighty Borussia Dortmund. In some ways, a brilliant wave of young players taking the bull that is the U.S. Men's National Team by its aging horns would do more for the standing of the game in our country than anything else.

Let's dive directly into it; would having these players in MLS be of any significant value to them, or add more to MLS's relevance as a league? If we're honest, the answer to both questions is likely a resounding "no." There are definitely more intense and challenging environments in Europe and elsewhere abroad in which the cream of the U.S. youth crop is unquestionably good enough to thrive.

While it would be great to see Christian Pulisic in a Portland Timbers uniform scoring goals for fun on our shores, it wouldn't necessarily benefit him as a player. For example, last season he provided an assist and a goal to get Dortmund over the line against the Portuguese powerhouse SL Benfica in the second leg of a Champions League knockout stage tie. That's absolutely monumental experience and contribution for a then-18-year-old on one of the biggest stages in the world game. An injury to Marco Reus provided him with the opportunity to start, and he took that opportunity in stunning fashion, as he's done before in similar games.

Pulisic is an extreme case, though, in terms of American youth players. His father was a soccer coach with fairly far-reaching ties, and used those connections to get his son in front of the right people. Not to diminish Pulisic at all whatsoever, but this did help make possible a move to an academy like Dortmund's at such a young age. Still, he already has more big-game conditioning than almost any other player currently suiting up for the USMNT. Pulisic has shown that he can pull strings in an attacking midfield role when it matters, including on crucial summer international nights while wearing American colors.

We should also focus on players like Jordan Morris, the Seattle Sounders youth academy product who tore up American collegiate soccer during his time at Stanford. He then opted for a move to his boyhood club in Seattle over a transfer deal from the likes of German club Werder Bremen, where he went on trial but passed on a contract.

Would it have been better for Jordan Morris to test himself against the defenses of Bayern, Dortmund and Leverkusen instead of the comparatively porous Houston Dynamo?

Rather than delving too far into the merits or demerits of Morris' particular choice, let's consider what's at stake on a national level when youth players make similar decisions about their futures. Right now, the U.S. men's national team is starved for fresh talent possessing enough experience to perform in meaningful games. The aging old guard of Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones and Graham Zusi aren't cutting the mustard anymore — almost all American supporters will agree. In order to boost our status as a soccer nation, it's imperative that more of our youth players push themselves into leagues that better prepare them to face the likes of Argentina and Colombia, as the USMNT did in last summer's Copa America Centenario with devastating difficulty.

Once European soccer is consistently treated to highlights of competitive (or even dominant) U.S. performances against elite national teams, the more viability we gain as a respected competitor on the world stage. It's then that paths leading to the doorsteps of European super-clubs will become much wider for our youth prospects. Future World Cup performances in which the USMNT doesn't rely on footballing scapegoats like "physicality" or "toughness" for results will do wonders for the enhancement of American soccer culture.

So, with these things in mind, selfishly demanding that our best youth talents stay within America's still-developing leagues to play their soccer won't bring us any closer to reaching our greatest of goals — respect.