Is Major League Soccer better than people think?

Question

I saw a Mexican fan mention the MLS only has Beckham, Blanco and Americans that play for their National Teams. When that is completely wrong! Here are some MLS Players that have been called up to their National Teams during the current MLS season:

England-

David Beckham (LA Galaxy)

Canada-

Dwayne Derisory (Houston Dynamo)

Pat Onstead (Houston Dynamo)

Jim Brennan (Toronto FC)

Greg Sutton (Toronto FC)

Tyler Rosenlund (Toronto FC)

Adrian Serious (FC Dallas)

Ante Jazic (LA Galaxy)

Costa Rica-

Gonzalo Segares (Chicago Fire)

Guatemala-

Carlos Ruiz (LA Galaxy)

Honduras-

Amado Guevara (Toronto FC) Captain of National Team

Ivan Guerrero (DC United)

Mauricio Castro (New England Revolution)

Puerto Rico-

Marco Velez (Toronto FC)

Chris Megaloudis (New York Red Bull)

Jason Hernandez (San Jose Earthquakes)

Jamaica-

Tryone Marshall (Toronto FC)

Andy Williams (Real Salt Lake)

Shavar Thomas (Chivas USA)

Saint Kitts and Nevis-

Atiba Harris (Chivas USA)

Turks and Caicos Islands-

Gavin Glinton (San Jose Earthquakes)

Senegal-

Bouna Coundoul (Colorado Rapids)

Sierra Leone-

Kei Kamara (Houston Dynamo)

Bolivia-

Jaime Moreno (DC United)

Liberia-

Francis Doe (DC United)

New Zealand-

Andrew Boyens (New York Red Bull)

Duncan Oughton (Columbus Crew)

Jarrod Smith (Toronto FC)

Venezuela-

Jorge Rojas (New York Red Bull)

Gabriel Cicero (New York Red Bull)

Grenada-

Sharlie Joseph (New England Revolution)

Gambia-

Abdoulie Mansally (New England Revolution)

Bermuda-

Khano Smith (New England Revolution)

I know that some of these National Teams are not good. However statements like that are wrong.

Answer 1

MLS is getting better with their on the field product.  USA players alone that start in MLS and move to high European leagues is proof. Adu, Altidore, Dempsey are just a sample of the players that started in MLS and moved up.  That trend will continue.  

Answer 2

Yeah every team on that list except for England Canada and Venezula are not respected as competitive teams...

MLS is years behind FA or any league in Europe

just look at the way they play...

MLS- HIGH pressure, always running, long passes, going for the goal everytime you get the ball

European teams- Medium pressure(make the opposition make a mistake and then being able to stay in formation to capitiolize), short passes waiting to get the defense out of position so then they can capitolize,  

Answer 3

Yes, I think they are better than they get credit for.

Oh & you might add Stuart Holden to your list. He was born in Scotland to Scottish parents, raised in Houston though.

Answer 4

he's probably just mad cuz the mls has a bright future,

i cant say that for mexico though

Answer 5

In a way, maybe. Hard to tell until the league becomes established, i.e. all the teams have functional stadium situations and games are consistently played on decent pitches.

One thing to watch is whether New England is setting a precedent by importing the two young Africans - Mansally and Nyassi from Gambia. That's been a huge success. Look for other MLS teams to do likewise.

Answer 6

Once Mexico actually beats the United States, they can talk trash about our league. You did a great job compiling that list. The American players should not be overlooked, either. They are top talent that the Mexican league wishes they had. Juan Pablo Angel should be on that list somewhere too...

Answer 7

ekpo from the columbus crew is playing with nigeria in the olympics also.

and yes the MLS is better than people think.

Answer 8

Yes, their are leagues around the world that are way worse than MLS.

Answer 9

It's hard to be a cheerleader unless you actually attend a match. My first, between the Fire and United at RFK was awesome. I've been to Chelsea, FC Augsburg, and Caen matches in Europe. The MLS does a fine job with the tools at hand. Enjoy them while you save up for airfare.

Answer 10

That' s a great question, I think you are about to open some eyes.  Impressive, you didn't even list the US Team.  Thanks.

Answer 11

The MLS has come a long way. I'm not saying their arent good players because I am impressed at their level of play. They aren't anywhere close to the top of European teams, but SOME MLS teams could compete to a certain extent in Europe. Its quite obvious that they arent close to European competition by watching Barcelona beat up on NY Red Bull. =/

Answer 12

when the mls reaches the fmf level

the fmf is already going to be a european class league

like it or not

thats the truth