Hello friends, parents, agents, players and colleagues — my name is Marcus Chairez and I am a soccer scout, focusing on top-end soccer talent in the United States as well as players abroad with United States eligibility. I have been scouting youth sports for over ten years and have recently focused primarily on soccer over the last three years because I saw a gap in coverage for the passionate U.S. Soccer fan and I wanted to share my passion for soccer in the United States with the community.

I use a numerical grading system that assesses a player's physical profile, technical ability, tactical aptitude and mentality towards the game. Scoring categories are adjusted for each position and each category is averaged in order to get to a total grade for each player. The grades are based on how a player compares to an average United States player for a given age at his position.

The numerical grades indicate what tier a prospect is in, helping forecast what level of professional a player could become if given the right opportunity, development and luck with injuries.

A tier 1 prospect is often referred to as a 'blue-chip' prospect. This level of player has the potential to be an impact player for a top 50 club in the world and a starter for the United States Men's National Team. At the youth level, this type of player is selected to Youth National Teams without much thought and are typically selected to play up age groups — they tend to dominate when playing within their age group.

Tier 2 prospects are very good players and have the potential to be a role player for a top 100 club in the world and a consistent contributor to the United States Men's National Team. At the youth level, this level of player is consistently selected to Youth National Teams are amongst the most impactful players within their age group.

Tier 3 prospects are good players and have the potential to be impactful MLS or equivalent club players. They are projected to be fringe United States Men's National Team players. At the youth level, they are usually in and out of Youth National Teams based on form, availability and strength of their age group and are impactful players within their age group.