MLS as Nursery League

Filed in archive US Soccer on November 21, 2005

Source: Evan Garcia

Here's an extension of a piece we posted to OleOle last week which has gotten some traffic and comment.

The Mighty MJD offers an interesting tip to a possible, though at this point not probable, future for the sagging fortunes of MLS in America. MJD riffs off an article in last week's New York Times regarding the league's progress in the last decade and where league management hope it is going and puts forth an interesting scenario that we could see happening -- a transition of the MLS into a sister league to the English Premier League.

While MJD points to purchase of Manchester Unitted by the Glazer family and possible investment in Liverpool by Robert Kraft as the possible link, a broader look at trends in cross-border development of and investment in smaller leagues by the big European teams shows this idea wouldn't be out of line with what is happening elsewhere. Our friends over at Asian Football Business Review do a great job of tracking the movements of these big powers in development of Asian teams and leagues as feeder clubs and "academies" for talent, such as a new deal by Charlton to connect to Auckland's NZ Knights. Geoffrey's coverage of Chelsea's announced growth strategy also sheds light on these movements worldwide.

Liverpool's announcement of a new US academy system may also point to EPL involvement in the US league structure. Where one team goes in search of talent, others won't be far behind. The growth of US player skill and frequency of appearance in European youth sides mean the US is now being seen as a viable pool of young talent. Young players such as Zak Whitbread at Liverpool, and Jonathan Spector at Manchester Utd are breaking through to first-team action, and other American youngsters are not far behind.

Outside of the EPL, an additional wildcard is the reported interest by Barcelona in buying an MLS team. This summer's exhbition tour by Real Madrid was also seen as something of a feeler toward more permanent interest in the US market. With Mexican teams such as Chivas and now possibly Club America looking to buy into the States, the MLS may eventually be the subject of an international land grab. While a distant possibility, it is one that would strongly benefit a league otherwise lacking strong momentum and useful international connections.