Claudio Repetto wasn’t sure of the idea at first. Since he was 10, he had played for the academy of Italian Serie A club Genoa, operating with the wide-eyed dreams that accompany academy players. “Your goal is to make it to the first team,” said Repetto, who now plays striker for Phoenix Rising.

But here he was, 19 years old, being told by his agent that a first-team opportunity was a pipe dream. Even a loan out to Serie B or Serie C, as many of his teammates pursued, wasn’t materializing. So instead, his agent offered up another plan: play college soccer in the United States.