Takeru Chiba saw greener pastures and a path to the professional ranks by heading overseas to play college soccer in the United States. 

"I always wanted to be a professional player, but I felt there was no future for me when I moved on to a university in Japan," Chiba said.

Currently, the 20-year-old is enrolled at Cowley College in the U.S. state of Kansas, playing for the second season on its soccer team.

Chiba had played for a youth squad of Vegalta Sendai in the J2 division of Japan's professional soccer J.League until he was a high school student.

He participated in a practice session with a top college team based in the Kanto region when he was a third-year student.

The team had more than 100 members, and he noticed the difference in treatment between members of the top team and the rest of the squad.

Players on a lower squad practiced fewer hours with no coach assigned to them.

Chiba increasingly felt that the only place where he could improve his skills was outside Japan.

He decided to attend a community college in the United States where he could play soccer immediately after graduating from high school.

The U.S. college sports scene has become so commercialized that it is similar to an achievement-based society like the world of professional sports. 

When Chiba sent videos showing himself on the soccer pitch through an intermediary company and waited for offers, six colleges showed interest.

Under the competitive system, players receive scholarship offers from four-year universities and colleges and be exempted from tuition if they can prove their worth.

The number of members on each team is about 30, including Brazilians and other student-athletes determined to play at a higher level.

"The harder you work, the more attention you will get from scouts," Chiba said.

When he achieved results at a U.S. national competition, Chiba was invited by St. Louis City SC, which competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), to join its practices.

Although he fell short of being offered a contract, "I could feel a closer connection with the professional world," Chiba said.

In addition, a growing number of soccer-playing students at top schools in Japan have gone on to the United States.

They include players from J.League youth teams like Chiba and students from regular qualifying teams at national high school championships, such as Ryutsu Keizai University-affiliated Kashiwa Senior High School in Chiba Prefecture and Toin Gakuen in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Sota Kawasaki, a Kyoto Sanga midfielder who played as a member of the national under-23 team at the Paris Olympics, also considered playing at a U.S. college.

"It was an attractive idea when I thought about the facilities and my career path toward a professional player," he said.

According to Shingo Nemoto, president of Athlete Brand Japan Co., it has been common for young people to play soccer in Europe or South America as student-athletes. Now, the United States has been added to the list in recent years.

Nemoto's company supports young people aspiring to play overseas as student-athletes.

Until seven to eight years ago, there was about one student each year who went overseas to study and play soccer.

The company currently supports a total of about 30 male and female students annually who are playing overseas.

In addition to an opportunity to learn English, studying in the United States is also popular among student-athletes because they can also obtain an academic degree.

In Europe and in South America, players play for club teams until their contracts are completed.

But in the United States, students can continue playing while studying under a scholarship.

"There has been a growing need (among employers) to hire those who have studied overseas," Nemoto said. "Playing for school clubs outside Japan can also be considered as an additional benefit for their job-hunting activities."

However, students must not only have sufficient English skills but also meet academic requirements to enter four-year universities with competitive soccer programs.

There are also few players that have went through the college ranks to play for the top teams in MLS. 

Nemoto said there is a growing demand for Japanese soccer players as Los Angeles Galaxy defender Maya Yoshida and other former members of Japan's national squad now play in the MLS.

"I think the number of those willing to study abroad will increase further," he added.