my brother had to coach his kid's soccer team (7 years old), and my brother never played, and knows nothing about soccer. It's 7 year olds, so no big deal, but then imagine a team of 7 year olds in Brazil, there's NO WAY that their coach would not have played.

Not to mention, every time you go the beach there's games being played with some ridiculously skilled players. They have public futsal courts that stay full all day. It's just all over. They're getting way more reps than US players and developing more skills, just because it's such a part of the culture.