If you’ve followed MLS in any capacity over the past ten years, you’ve almost certainly heard the term “retirement league”.
Like the tournaments in China and Australia, the MLS has long been seen as a place for Europe’s veteran stars to find a light and rich home before facing the harsh realities of life. live without football.
That approach has seen some, like Thierry Henry and David Villa, expand their legacy by seeing the league as another challenge that needs to be dominated.
MLS Cup 2021: Time, TV, odds for Portland-NYCFC
Others, like Steven Gerrard and Andrea Pirlo, would consider their time in America largely forgettable, a discordant caption that leaves you wondering: “Why did he have to go there?”
Over the past few years, however, that story has begun to change. Of course, the days of older stars coming to North America are not over yet, but the way MLS does business is now completely different.
It’s not a league built on old stars looking for a final spot, but young talent just starting their journey towards the top.
It’s a league built around the Ricardo Pepis (pictured below), the Caden Clarks and the Tajon Buchanans of the world: young Americans and Canadians emerging from two footballing burgeoning nations.
It’s also a league built around players like Talles Magno, Valentin Castellanos and Brenner: South American Stars, who have chosen to make their next moves in the state.
Inspired by the sale of Alphonso Davies and Miguel Almiron, clubs are now drawn to this new race to see who can best determine the next multimillion-dollar player, who A sale can change the trajectory of a club forever.
As the league gears up for the MLS Cup final between the NYCFC and the Portland Timbers, this 2021 season is coming to an end and the biggest thing is that the league has developed the sport’s next top stars including including far.
Gone are the retirement leagues; MLS is slowly emerging as a leading North American talent studio.
“We’re bringing in younger players,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber. “I don’t think there is, or should be in anyone’s mind, the idea of people going to Major League Soccer in general as a place to retire.
“There are always players coming in at the end of his career, and Zlatan (Ibrahimovic) came to Milan when he was 37 or 38. I’m not worried about one or two players.
“It’s really, ‘Where’s our focus?’, and the focus is on attracting young players.”
THAN: Griezmann still interested in moving to MLS after contract with Barcelona expires
As Garber says, in recent years the focus has shifted to developing and signing young players.
MLS academies are still in their infancy compared to their academies in Europe and South America, and a number of academies have emerged as legitimate hubs of great talent.
Look at FC Dallas, which has produced Weston McKennie, Reggie Cannon and Bryan Reynolds, all of whom are playing in Europe’s top leagues. Pepi will be joining them soon, with the Dallas striker likely to make a big money move after bursting into action as MLS Young Player of the Year.
Take a look at the Philadelphia Union, the team that just made it to the MLS Cup final this weekend. Brenden Aaronson is shining in the Champions League while Mark McKenzie joins Genk in Belgium.
How did they replace their two stars? With a host of other young talent, the likes of Jack McGlynn and Paxten Aaronson, who look like a year or two away, will get their own big strides.
It’s a model. The rest can be seen at clubs like Atlanta United or, most notably, in NYCFC as they take the field for the MLS Cup final.
For the first few years, NYCFC relied on older stars. Villa, Pirlo and Frank Lampard have been the club’s most successful signings, but their actual success has subdued them.
Today, the club is built differently. Using the City Football Group’s extensive network of scouts, the club have discovered a number of real diamonds in the rough, several key overseas veterans and most notably a talented young players.
This year’s MLS Golden Shoe winner, Castellanos, played just 31 games before heading to the MLS. He scored just 17 goals in his first two-and-a-half seasons before really bursting with 19 this season at the age of 22. According to ESPN’s Taylor Twellman, Castellanos (pictured below) could now leave this winter. with expensive transfer fees.
THAN: McKennie came off injured in Juventus’ loss to Atalanta
Magno joined the club last summer as one of Brazil’s most highly regarded prospects. With leagues around the world struggling due to the pandemic, South American leagues in particular have been hit hard financially. Meanwhile, some MLS clubs have the money to spend and the ambition and connections to get a player of Magno’s caliber.
Definitely one for the future, Magno was also one of the here and now, coming off the bench to score a late goal against the Philadelphia Union in the convention final.
Situations like Magno’s are now becoming the norm. This past summer, MLS teams spent more money and paid bigger fees than ever before, as clubs are starting to see the benefits of investing in future stars of all shapes and sizes. and scale.
Look at Castellanos and Magno. Two South American stars, one unannounced and one backed by a lot of hype, are key to both NYCFC’s title hopes. Money that was once spent on famous players in their past is now spent on players who can define club and league, present and future.
“We are really just a league to buy,” says Garber, reflecting the past business of MLS, “and we need to be like every other football league or soccer league around the world. : both buy and sell.
“We’re still buying more than we’re selling, but we’re getting to the point where we can create high value for players investing in and being a relevant league and entering the international market, no different. with any other tournament.
“We are well on our way to achieving our goals on that front. We have spent more money and bought more players than at any point in the summer of ’21, more than in the previous five seasons. That’s it, so that’s the balance we’re trying to strike and I think we’re in a pretty good position right now.”
Magno and Castellanos are likely to receive transfers in the future, but just this season some young stars in the country have moved to Europe.
Clark is attached to RB Leipzig, having emerged as a star to watch with the New York Red Bulls in late 2020. That link between New York and Leipzig is reflected by several MLS clubs, with FC Dallas with Bayern and NYCFC’s connection to Manchester City are most notable.
THAN: Scally’s Bundesliga debut against Bayern Munich makes USMNT Twitter overload
And so Clark’s transfer was always on the cards, with the MLS being the initial stepping stone to Europe.
“Communication [MLS] Clark told Goal last month is crucial. Every European team follows young players here because they see them as a huge asset right now in the market and for their team.
“So I think staying this year is the best thing for me, just prepare myself mentally and physically and get the game minutes needed to get through that and have some experience. “
Buchanan’s road to Europe has not been smooth. The Canadian attacker has seen first-hand how the game has evolved in his own country, having seen the likes of Davies and Cyle Larin use the MLS to make their way to Europe.
Like Larin, Buchanan’s path goes back to college and, like Larin, the winger is currently playing for Europe, especially Club Brugge, after bursting onto the scene in the MLS.
“Talent is starting to show,” Buchanan told Goal when asked about Canada’s youth star training case. “They have a lot of young lads coming up from the national team and a lot of vets we’re all learning from.
“We have a good balance, so the future is definitely bright for Canada with all the young talent coming from the academies.”
Since the start of 2021, the MLS has seen a number of players move to Europe. Aaronson and McKenzie did in January, as did Reynolds and Joe Scally. Sam Vines signed for Royal Antwerp this summer, while Gianluca Busio and Tanner Tessmann are currently in Serie A with Venezia.
THAN: Tessmann joins Venice from FC Dallas
Buchanan and Clark are watching them this winter. Pepi almost certainly will. Castellanos probably does too, and there are countless other young stars just waiting to become the next Davies, Tyler Adams or Miguel Almiron to shine in the biggest tournaments in the world.
There is still room for the player to move in the other direction. The league will always contain a player like Gonzalo Higuain because of his star power and talent.
It will also always benefit from overlooked top stars like Carles Gil, Alejandro Pozuelo or Sebastian Blanco, the latter of whom could make the difference in the MLS Cup this weekend if healthy.
But the era of retirement leagues is long gone. The MLS shop window is open for business and business is just starting to look good.
