True dat. When my son was a teenager he played for his high school and for an elite local 'traveling team'. This traveling team was 12-0 in Western PA and decided to enter in three week event in Sweden.
The 'elite W. PA, 12-0 team' went '0'ffer in Europe against kids that were the same age and went 2-6 against kids that were 2-3 years their junior.
The skill level was exponentially different, and we were sucking wind.
The female teams that play in the world cup, would get slaughtered by high school aged boys, because many are good enough to be playing professional {and some are}.
The best high school athletes in the U.S. play other sports; and there are lots to choose from. In Sweden, sports are pretty much soccer and those that involve snow.