I see your point. I didn't quite get what you were getting at first... And I agree - the field is deeper in the U.S. But that sort of reinforces my point that only Mao and Yuna (and maybe Miki when she doesn't fall apart) are out of reach for Alissa and the other U.S. ladies.
The point you are making about Alissa - you could make it about a lot of the U.S. ladies. Ashley probably would have won Europeans with her two performances at nationals. And then she would have gone to worlds and the reigning European champion and maybe received the benefit of the doubt on PCS. Instead, she is a two-time U.S. bronze medalist who had to sit out the last two world championships and therefore is unproven on the international stage.
But that is the price to pay for being from a country of deep talent. Historically, you could say that the sixth and seventh place U.S. finishers are way better than a lot of the ladies who get to go to worlds. The U.S. ladies in general are not as good as they once were. But since the European ladies in general are even worse, so the reality still applies....
