MLS: A retirement league or professional football association?
Football, or soccer as it is called over there, is not one of America’s biggest sports. The big three sports have always been American football, basketball and baseball, with ice hockey coming in a close fourth. But then soccer came
on the scene and people started to get interested. The sport has always had fans because of the extremely popular Premier League and other European leagues that are watched in the States. Over time America got the soccer bug and the MLS, or Major League Soccer,
was formed. People have been a little critical of the league though claiming it was simply a place to go for superstars of the European game when they were close to retirement. Is that true or is the MLS something more than that?
At the moment a lot of people play soccer in America, it is slowly growing in the country. In 1993, the idea to launch an American league was floated as part of the country’s bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The league was officially
formed that year and teams were formed. In 1996, the MLS had its first season and ten teams from all over the country took part. Soon some powerful players and exciting talent started to emerge in the league such as the great Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley.
But it was not all smooth sailing for the nascent league in the early years as low attendance almost bankrupted it and led to its demise. The financial troubles continued until 1998, when new Commissioner Don Garber was hired to lead the league. His leadership
proved instrumental in turning the fortunes of the league around.
Soon the MLS started to make a name for itself. Recently it has started attracting big names from Europe. One of the big names to arrive on American shores was the great English player David Beckham who signed a contract with the LA
Galaxy. The latest to arrive has been Thierry Henry, the French superstar, who joined the New York Red Bulls. These two superstars have really not set the world of American soccer on fire and this has brought about one of the first major criticisms of the
league. A lot of people are now saying that the MLS is simply a retirement league where major European players in the twilight of their careers go to spend a few years and earn some big bucks in the process.
The strategy it seems that is being employed by the owners of the MLS is that maybe they too see the league as a retirement place for aging footballers, but at the same time, by having two international superstars on the rosters of
American teams, it brings a high level of credibility to the burgeoning league. Maybe the label is harsh, but even if it is they managed to poach two superstars from Europe and are probably looking to grab more would certainly lead to higher quality of the
football.
The leadership could see it as being a chain reaction, the more superstars in the league, the more interest in the league. The more interest in the league, the more people will watch games and the more that people watch games, more
money the league can pull from investors. That money can be used to further enhance the youth soccer programmes in the country so that America can start producing its own extremely talented footballers in the same vein as Landon Donavon or even one day is
able to find the next Beckham or Henry.
In time, with more investment and the ability to sign younger, more talented players from Europe and around the world, the MLS will become a powerful force to be reckoned with. At the moment it may seem like a retirement league but the strategy is sound
and in time will start to bear fruit. With the millions of young people playing the game in America at the moment, the next superstar is just around the corner. If the MLS can find some real American talent soon, that might even increase the record of their
national team and boost the sport further in the country. The future looks very bright for this young league and it should be given time to flourish properly.
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