It's become a trend in recent years for X League clubs to acquire American players, including many who played for prominent U.S. college programs.
This influx of talent helps give the football-stadium crowds here a little more international flavor.
Recently, the Nojima Sagamihara Rise signed a pair of former players from the University of Michigan, one of the most storied college football programs in America, in quarterback Devin Gardner and Jeremy Gallon this year. (The club also has two other Americans in second-year linebacker Art Laurel and first-year defensive back Earnest Thomas III on its roster).