Major League Soccer, what first comes to mind when someone brings up the league? Probably the few stars who have crossed the pond for millions of dollars to play (and sometimes dominate) in North America. Zlatan, Beckham, Rooney, Gerrard, some of the worlds’ best players have come to play in the MLS but, the league is still struggling to get young talent on a consistent basis, especially for longer term contracts.
The most common case is players who are at the absolute end of their career and are trying to squeeze a few (million) more dollars out of their playing career; Gerrard for example. Although it garners a ton of attention from media around the world, the hype is always short lived. The other case is short stints from stars near the end of their career, who are looking to revitalize their careers before one last push in Europe: for example, Rooney or Zlatan.
Indeed, the MLS player pool has growing in terms of top side talent and depth, but still we must ask: why do international soccer stars only come to Major League Soccer well past their prime, or not at all?
In preparation for the MLS season opening week in mid-April our next few change the game blogs we will explore, MLS pay, level of play, football culture, and finally how it effects their international status.