In North Texas, we are very fortunate on the boy's side to have Classic League. It is not perfect by any means, but it is a good level league where teams earn their spot and there is a pathway that is also earned on the field. Any club has the opportunity to compete on the field and rise to the top just like it is everywhere else in the world.
Classic League games are local and therefore travel expenses are nonexistent. Depending on where you end up in the standings, you can earn a spot in the USYS Regional Frontier league where games are scheduled around the league and travel is limited and organized in such a way that you only spend one hotel night and minimize expenses. Frontier League also earns you invitation to USYS National League and Regional tournament where you can qualify for National tournament. You can also get to the Regional Tournament by winning State Cup. Teams that are able to get to the higher-level opportunities are therefore truly elite.
I hope that someday, the US Soccer Federation will create a league that is open to everybody and where any club can rise to the top based on their on-the-field performance. Better yet, I hope MLS Next or ECNL does the same. This is how the top soccer nations do it and it is best for the good for youth soccer development and for creation of a true elite level competition.
Above all else, I hope that parents will focus on development of their children, especially at younger ages (U16 and younger); de-emphasizing the league and focusing on coaching. We are fortunate that in North Texas there is plenty of good competition.