Moments before the kickoff of the opener of the U20 CONCACAF Championship between Canada and Honduras, Sounders technical director Chris Henderson tweeted a photo.

It depicted his spot in the sparsely occupied stands for the looming match at the Saprissa Stadium in Costa Rica. Henderson trekked to Central America to scout perhaps the single most talent-rich showcase for young, under-scouted players in the federation. Whether Henderson was joined by all of his MLS colleagues or simply a few, MLS front offices are waking up to this tournament’s utility as a transfer bypass. It’s significantly cheaper and more efficient to poach up-and-coming stars from El Salvador and Honduras yourself in lieu of watching their market value skyrocket while in the Santos Laguna or Club America academies.

For years - decades, really - Mexico’s owned this scouting niche with little continental competition. MLS, it seems, is finally fighting back.

The tournament is still in the early stages. We’re only through the first round of games, and a wide plateau of possibilities is out in front of each World Cup hopeful. But there are already a few individual talents currently playing in relative obscurity who’ve already put their stamp on the tourney. Needless to say, the heavily scouted and largely professional rosters of Mexico, Canada and the U.S. don’t apply nearly as much.

If MLS front offices are paying attention, we could soon see at least a few of these guys Stateside.