team has a free academy, with some extending or having a branch outside the team's geographic footprint. A lot of the Latino kids who used to be left behind in club ball are now at MLS academies, including several of Mexico's top youth prospects. The Dallas, Philadelphia, and I think NYCFC academies are regularly sending guys to the USMNT and to European leagues.

For the kids who fall between the cracks and don't get picked up at an academy due to geography, bad scouting, or being late bloomers, high school soccer is free for athletes at any school in the country and can lead to college scholarships, which are essentially academies unconnected to specific pro teams. I get that elite universities scout from club ball and not HS, but if someone does well enough in HS they'll get a scholarship regardless of club status.