Ryan Alford

Soccer in America is growing fast, but access to the highest levels of the sport still depends on too much money, exposure, and who can afford the system.

Brad Rothenberg, the founder of AccessU Foundation, saw that firsthand through the grassroots soccer programs that eventually led to building his foundation.

Brad has a unique perspective from growing up around the business side of American soccer to now helping underserved scholar athletes turn their talents and academics into real college opportunities.

Today, we get into the pay-to-play problem, why so much talent gets missed, and how AccessU is helping kids get the shot they already deserve.

Hey, Brad, what's up?

Welcome to Right About Now.

Hey, Ryan, how are you?

I'm great, man.

Ready to kick it around?

I'll admit, I know a little bit about soccer, but I have four boys.

They've played some.

I'm always fascinated by the fandom and the spirit and have been around it, but I'm looking for enlightenment today.

I have seen that, and I do see the fandom and appreciate the educated enough to realize that soccer is the largest sport on earth.

You grew up firsthand with it, literally.

It's a fascinating ecosystem.

The way soccer is so globally important and yet it's grown and you would have more data than me.

It's growing in the U.S.

as we become more acculturated and Hispanic dominated and just a lot of mixes of other worldly cultures.

It comes with the territory and I think we get more exposed to it.

All those things happen.