Why MLS’ International Flavor Is Improving the Level of Play on the USMNT

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: April 11, 2013

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In the United States men’s national team's recent World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica and Mexico, a funny thing happened. For the first time in recent memory, certainly the first time in the Jurgen Klinsmann era, every single player on the field for the United States was, or had been, a Major League Soccer player.

MLS still holds a controversial place in the hearts and minds of many USMNT fans. While everyone knows that the league is growing and getting better, there is still a lingering feeling among many U.S. fans that the league is somehow not doing its job of producing players capable of catapulting the USMNT to the next level of international play.

Certainly, MLS still has yet to organically produce its own superstar, and most young Americans still believe a move to Europe is the best way to further their career—if and when such a move becomes available.

Yet, the league is starting to get to that tipping point, where it will be able to hold onto its young stars and perhaps even attract young stars from Europe.

One of the biggest factors in the growth and improvement of the league over the past few years has been the increasing growth of the league’s international flavor.

Two weeks ago, MLS released a map of the league’s players that were born outside of the United States. It included 213 players from 61 different countries.

While some might think that such a large number of international players is hurting the league because these players are taking roster spots that might otherwise go to American (or Canadian) players, they are wrong.

The addition of these players is helping improve the level of competition in the league, consequently forcing American players to raise the level of their game. It is no longer like the days of the NASL, where teams have to look for places on the field to hide their American players.



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Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

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