The Most Athletic Retirement Community: The MLS’ Need for Change
The MLS has been a league characterized by its relatively recent creation compared to European leagues and as a place for famous players to retire to in places like LA, New York, and now Miami. This retirement community model has helped the league grow in popularity among Americans and heighten the overall competitive level of the league. However, this style of growth and investment will slow due to the new Saudi League stealing some of Europe’s biggest stars at prices MLS clubs cannot match. So, what’s next for the American topflight, it must begin investment into the development of young talent to be sold and traded to the European clubs for profit.
The MLS must look to the farmers’ leagues of Europe like The Eredivisie in the Netherlands or Primeira Liga in Portugal. These leagues are known to be competitive in Europe while also having academies that develop the future stars of Europe. Cristiano Ronaldo, João Félix, Darwin Nuñez, Arjen Robben, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Dennis Bergkamp are just a few of the names of Europe’s stars to come out of these leagues for giant profits while also allowing the top clubs in these leagues to compete at the highest level with young squads. Like Ajax’s run in the Champions League in the 2018-19 season or when Porto won the Champions League in 2004.
With the MLS now having more European-styled academies there is ample opportunity to change the priorities of the league. Another reason to change, for example, is that Lionel Messi would never have gone to Minnesota, so teams in LA, New York, and Miami have a much greater draw for the better players creating a divide in opportunity that could be soothed by youth investment. If you can’t have the greatest player in the world as he finishes his career, why not try to make the next American star instead? The MLS is unique in that there is enough money already in the leagues in both investment potential and team value that through finding more profit through selling youth talent and raising the level of talent in the league there is a door open to then start getting Europe’s stars before they are ready for retirement.
The need to stop relying on the names of stars and to begin creating the next generation of stars is long overdue and finally at a point that it is possible. Just last season, a 14-year-old named Cavan Sullivan, who was a part of the Philadelphia MLS NEXT academy, was linked to join Manchester City before deciding to stay in Philadelphia and has since made a professional appearance. Orlando City’s striker Duncan McGuire had a breakout rookie season and would have been sold to Blackburn Rovers in the second division of England had there not been a clerical error. There is already a growing market for young American talent that should be the new priority of the League, especially teams that are less likely to recruit the retiring stars.
