Almiron garnered a MLS record transfer fee when EPL club Newcastle United acquired him GETTY IMAGES
Recent high-profile moves by MLS players are "signaling a shift in how the league is perceived on the world stage," according to Anne Peterson of the AP. The "old stereotype that MLS is a final destination for players on the downside of their careers is fading as more of the league’s stars are getting attention from European clubs and beyond." Two of the league’s "big names" -- Atlanta United MF Miguel Almiron and Toronto FC F Sebastian Giovinco -- last week left for teams abroad, after Bayern Munich last year signed Whitecaps F Alphonso Davies. Crew G Zack Steffen is headed to Manchester City, and former Red Bulls MF Tyler Adams "made his first start" with Bundesliga club RB Leipzig recently. Atlanta United President Darren Eales: "If you’re a club in MLS trying to attract a player coming up to the prime of his career, you’re able ... to say, ‘Look, you can come to this league and actually now get noticed and moved on to top clubs and top leagues in the world.'" MLS VP/Player Relations & Competition Todd Durbin said the "increase in transfer fees for MLS players is an indication of the quality of our players." But Peterson notes there are "some pitfalls to being a 'seller’s league.'” MLS "must navigate player development and movement while keeping young players." The "model of bringing in established talent from abroad still has value for some teams, but more and more, those new arrivals are trending younger" (AP, 2/1).
FULL CAPACITY? In Minneapolis, Jon Marthaler noted despite recent speculation in both Charlotte and Sacramento, MLS' "love for expansion will end, and the league is going to have to figure out other ways to grow." In the mid-2000s, the league "could hardly give away franchises." Now it "could find 32 or 36 or 40 sites for teams" in the U.S. and Canada. Marthaler: "At some point, though, there will be too many teams for a single league." This season, either MLS will "stuff more games into the schedule and unbalance the conference slate, or we’ll start seeing teams go multiple years between playing teams from the other conference." Already, the league is "verging on becoming too unwieldy" (STARTRIBUNE.com, 2/3).
