PHOENIX — For most of the world, soccer is the most accessible sport imaginable. The pillar of many communities, all it takes to play is a bit of space and something to kick.

In the United States, though, soccer is anything but accessible.

“When the cost for my son’s club team started (pushing) $2,000 because of all the expenses, my husband said, ‘We’re out,’” said Di Anderson, a loan officer in Phoenix. “He wasn’t even a teenager yet.”

Many in the youth soccer universe have echoed Anderson’s frustrations.

“There was a line that people used to use a lot: ‘For soccer around the rest of the world, you need a ball. For soccer in America, you need a uniform, you need referees and you need a scoreboard,’” said Washington Post reporter Les Carpenter, who has covered the issue of exclusivity

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