On the boats and on the planes, they’re coming to America. That is of course from a Neil Diamond classic. Today, if he was reworking the lyrics, he might include PSG, Barcelona, Spurs, Juventus, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Roma.

For the crème de la crème of world football this summer are all currently in the United States playing in the International Champions Cup. If this was a tournament which looked over the last few season to be a cobbled together idea to generate TV revenue (and you only have to think about Celtic playing Inter in Limerick 12 months ago) then this year’s event looks, as the Yanks would say, the real deal.

In fact, on Saturday evening, a crowd of over 80,000 watched Barcelona beat Juventus in the Met Life Stadium in New York, the fans in attendance creating a wonderful atmosphere, the kind the Americans dreamt about – and tried to manufacture – during the '70s soccer boom Stateside.

But there was nothing contrived nor made up on Saturday; those who watched were genuine and knowledgeable football fans, sorry, soccer fans, a measure of just where the game is now on the other side of the Atlantic.

There can be no doubt that soccer is the fastest growing sport in the USA and crowds like those would certainly back that up. Soccer-specific stadiums are being built all over the country, the latest a $350m-dollar stadium in Los Angeles for new 2018 expansion team, LA FC.

I am lucky enough to currently be over in the US at the moment, helping to coach young lads at Georgia Southern University with John Murphy, my old coach at the Colorado Rapids.

The facilities are amazing. They certainly put what we have in Scotland to shame; beautiful grass pitches, swimming pools, indoor facilities that would blow your mind. Basically, you name it, they have it. Or put another way, what we can only dream about is the norm for them.

And this is not even at a professional level. With a first-class education alongside whatever they do within football, it is no surprise a lot of Scottish kids are desperate to get scholarships.

The attitude of the American youngsters has also really surprised me. The levels of ability are varied, but, the respect each and every one of them show to the coaches, and the hunger and desire to get better, is really eye opening and is only going to push the standards up, certainly at youth levels.

None of the kids I’ve met think they’ve made it. Their best has still to come. Others might learn from that in Scotland.

More and more, guys playing at the top level are now also being enticed to play in the domestic league the MLS. It used to be a league where ageing superstars and journeymen would come and pick up one last pay check, topping up on their pension before they went and found something else to do.

But now they are attracting players at the peak of their careers. It is not a downward move to America. It is for many sideways; for some, an advancement of where they were.

I spent a year in the MLS back in 2008 with Colorado Rapids and I absolutely loved it.

It was the best year of my career on and off the park. I know there will be Hibs and Dundee fans and supporters of other clubs asking how I can say that. But I mean it.

Even looking at the progress the league has made in the last nine years has been phenomenal. I mean from yours truly and Dr Goals himself, Kenny Deuchar, to David Villa and Sebastian Giovinco – that certainly speaks for itself!

Sam Nicholson has just moved to Minnesota United from Hearts and, at just 22, it raised a few eyebrows back in a sceptical Scotland. But I just couldn't understand why people would voice concerns or doubts. Firstly, not too many of the critics would know what they were taking about anyway having never experienced things out here.

But secondly, if you exclude Celtic, the overall level in the MLS is better than the Scottish Premiership in my opinion. So he has taken a step up.

It's also refreshing to see a young Scottish kid taking a gamble and heading abroad to further his horizons, rather than the well-trodden path south of the border, or worst still, into the lower leagues in Scotland.

It will be interesting to see how Sam does because it is a totally different kettle of fish from playing in Scotland.

Searing heat and humidity make the game a lot slower and more technical than it is in the UK, and when you add in long away trips – I mean, even Stranraer to Inverness or Brechin can be done by bus in a few hours – it can be difficult to adjust to taking three and four-hour flights and covering thousands of miles.

But I really hope he sticks with it and does well. I thought he looked an excellent prospect at Hearts. His coach Adrian Heath certainly knows the British game inside out and will help him adapt. And of course, the expansion of the game means there are more opportunities at all levels and, after your playing days are over with, in terms of management and coaching.

I mean, even someone like me gets the call to help and if I had my playing days over again, this would certainly be a place I’d consider as a great career move.