MLS: A Source of Great Talent
Feb 24, 2021 - 5 min read
American soccer stars in Europe
During the past few years, a significant number of young American soccer players have reached the top leagues of Europe. Most notably, Christian Pulisic has achieved great success with Chelsea FC. In 2021, he won the UEFA Champions League with Chelsea and the Club World Cup a few weeks ago in a 2-1 win against Palmeiras. Pulisic became Chelsea’s number 10 back in 2019, and since then, he has been a critical member of the team. Pulisic has achieved club success and international recognition, with the U.S national team winning both the CONCACAF Gold Cup and CONCACAF Nations League in 2021.
Source: Sports Illustrated
Some other American players in European clubs include Giovanni Reyna in Borussia Dortmund, Tyler Adams in Red Bull Leipzig, Josh Sargent in Norwich City, Sergiño Dest in FC Barcelona, John Brooks in Wolfsburg, Weston McKennie in Juventus, and much more. We see many American players in the top European leagues, which is great for soccer in the U.S.
Source: Sports Illustrated
The MLS as a key player
The MLS has helped export various players from the U.S and all the different countries of the Americas to Europe. They have been great contributors to the process. For example, during this winter transfer window of 2022, the MLS completed 33 transfers to Europe. The MLS is exporting great young talent to go and play top-quality soccer in the most popular European leagues.
What the MLS has done this winter transfer window is considered record-breaking. No other CONCACAF league has completed as many transfers as the MLS has. The transfers included signings, loans, and free agents whose contracts expired in 2021. Out of the 33 transfers, the one that stands out the most is Ricardo Pepi. During this winter transfer window, Pepi moved from FC Dallas to the Bundesliga club, Augsburg. According to AS, this signing contained a club-record transfer fee of $20 million, the second most expensive transfer in MLS history. The first place still belongs to Miguel Almiron, who established the record when he moved from Atlanta United to Newcastle for a transfer fee of $24 million back in 2019.
Source: The Athletic
Source: The Athletic
New Season, New Faces
“This new MLS season will bring big star players such as Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire), Lorenzo Insigne (Toronto FC), and Douglas Costa (LA Galaxy) that will keep allowing the league to keep growing in quality attracting more investors that want to activate their brands through soccer.” said Shine’s CEO, Dario Brignole.
As part of the MLS expansion plan, Charlotte FC will be making their debut this season by becoming the 28th team in the league. The league’s goal is to reach 30 teams with the addition of Las Vegas and St. Louis City SC by 2024. Charlotte will be playing their first ever home game against LA Galaxy on March 5 in the Bank of America Stadium. This MLS season will be a big one to remember!
Source: Charlotte FC