FanNation

...or to put it more accurately:

The Copa Libertadores.

The Copa Libertadores is almost as old as the UEFA Champions' League, and is organized by CONMEBOL--the South American soccer federation--for clubs from South America (with occasional "guests" from other Latin American countries). Defending champions and hemispheric (if not world) titans Boca Juniors are walking the proverbial tightrope to progress into the last 16:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/gregory_sica/04/23/boca/index.html 

Actually, I should also include the less prestigious, but to Americans, more relevant, CONCACAF Champions' Cup--in which the two American clubs, DC United and Houston Dynamo, were unceremoniously dumped in the two-legged semifinals by Pachuca (from Mexico) and Saprissa (from Costa Rica):

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/soccer/04/24/bc.la.spt.soc.concacafc.ap/index.html

Admittedly, just as with the federations themselves, the South American version is miles ahead of the North American version. Personally, I've always thought it would be better in the long run for the two federations to merge, even if it means short-term pain and suffering for the CONCACAF members (such as the United States) to wind their way through World Cup qualification with giants such as Argentina and Brazil.

But to be concise, those two will *always* be ahead of the rest, regardless of whether they're in the same federation. Merging the two federations would yield about the same number of members as Asia's confederation (about 45) and still several less than Europe's and Africa's federations (both above 50).

Are American teams ready for Copa Libertadores? NO. Might they benefit from being exposed to the higher standards of that competition over the decades, the same way the USA and Mexico would benefit from competing with Colombia, Chile, Paraguay, Ecuador, and the rest, for the "remaining" six spots in the World Cup from a unified CONCACAF/CONMEBOL (currently the allocation is for 3 1/2 and 4 1/2, so that means eight spots combined)? Definitely.

Travel considerations are important, but consider the expenses incurred by the Asian federation, which extends from Syria and Lebanon to Japan and Australia... it's possible.

Wouldn't you be interested in seeing the USA match up with the likes of Argentina and Brazil more often? Not just in friendlies or "lesser" tournaments where those countries send their "reserves", but in a proper qualification scenario? It doesn't mean that the USA is on a par with these two, but that it *is* on a par with some of the other South American countries. It's clear that to get better at a sport, you need to play opponents equal to or better than yourself... the USA (and Mexico) are not served well in this purpose by CONCACAF.

Let's bring on some "inter-American" competition! A Pan-American soccer federation, and a Pan-American Champions' League.