MLS Address - 7.27.12

Major League Soccer is a work in progress.  Last week, the MLS All-Stars emerged victorious over Champions League titleholders Chelsea.  This appears to be one of the first steps in the right direction for the league.  

A friend asked me a question yesterday, which forced me to rely with an honest response.  The question was one that most fans have asked, where would a top MLS side finish in the EPL?

 Being realistic the two leagues are still on opposite ends of the professional football spectrum.  Major League Soccer however, has been able to recruit the likes of Tim Cahill, Thierry Henry, Kris Boyd and of course golden boy David Beckham.  Though these players are entering or are in the later years of decorated playing careers although it seems to be starting a new movement of importation vs. exportation.

Younger players of high caliber will still be dragged away by the bright lights of the European football stage, which hurts the league in the long run.  Examples such as Tim Ream, Stuart Holden, Michael Bradley and of course Clint Dempsey have used it to not only improve their level of play but the level of the USA national squad.  This is where we run into a dilemma.  

What is more important, individual short-term development versus domestic league strength?  It is hard to answer this question.  Aside from issues such as money and exposure, the stronger the domestic league of a country usually dictates the success of the national team.

The new generation of USA standouts such as Brek Shea, Teal Bunbury and Juan Agudelo all seem to be poised to end up in Europe.  All are main cogs on their MLS teams, whose outfits’ success has a direction correlation to how well they play.  On a player-to-player basis what is best for them varies.

 Brek Shea, an exciting wide midfielder with size and speed, is a perfect candidate to move to Europe.  However, playing time may not come as easy as he would like.  This brings us into another the second problem with the American youth system.  Many players such as Freddy Adu have gone to Europe with high hopes, only to regress and return to MLS.  What the argument boils down to is the value of playing time versus strength of competition.  

I believe nothing beats playing 90+ minutes every game regardless level of play.  A prime example is Landon Donovan.  The face of US soccer since he broke into the national side in 1998 has proven that MLS can function has a highly influential development instrument.  After his failed attempt to conquer the German Bundesliga with Bayern Leverkusen he returned to MLS, where he has sustained over 10 years success.  In addition to positive loan spells at Barclays Premier side Everton, Donovan has risen to become one of the best American talents ever.  

The strength of Major League Soccer appears to be on the up rise.  Whether it is in my lifetime or that of the journalists to follow, the overall level of play seems to be foreshadowing exceptional growth.  The key to this progress now lies on the feet of a new generation of footballers.

Can they resist the lure of Europe?

The answer to this question we can only hope will be yes.