With the threat of a players’ strike averted at the last minute, Major League Soccer starts its 20th season on Friday with a game between the champions Los Angeles Galaxy and the Chicago Fire.
Players concerned over minimum wages and freedom of movement struck a new collective bargaining contract with the league, which is going from strength to strength.
Attendances are up, television deals have been struck outside the United States, and former England midfielders Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard will join their clubs LA Galaxy and new side New York City after this Premier League season.
The talent crossing from England is not confined to the English. Dutchman Rene Meulensteen, the experienced former Manchester United coach, has just returned to his Manchester home after two weeks working in his role as a consultant for the Philadelphia Union ahead of the season. He will return several times during the season.
“I’ve had a good look at the academy and the first team and will offer the best advice I can so that Philadelphia Union can improve,” said the coach, 50, who also worked at the top level in the Netherlands, Qatar, Denmark and Russia.
It is a departure from his usual hands-on coaching role, but he is enthused by what he sees in the US.
“MLS is gaining momentum every season,” Meulensteen said. “The league is expanding and there are two new clubs in it this season. Several others want to join and there are ambitious clubs in the second and third tiers.”
One second-division team, Indy Eleven, averaged crowds of 11,000 fans.
“There are more soccer-specific stadiums, and crowds are increasing,” the Dutchman said.
“Seattle’s average crowd last season was over 43,000, but while Philadelphia’s stadium is much smaller, it’s almost always sold out to its 18,500 capacity.”
Average crowds across the league last season were a record 19,151 – 39 per cent up from 2000 – and though the standard of play remains short of the best European leagues, Meulensteen said it is getting better.
“The key is to keep improving the quality of the football and the MLS is always looking to review and tweak in search of improvements,” he said.
“There’s the NASL and USL Pro league beneath MLS, and beneath that the Player Development League, which provides a better pathway for talented players after high school.”
Millions of youngsters play soccer in the US, but their coaching used to stop at school.
“Clubs now have to have academies,” Meulensteen said. “So the stepping stones to the MLS are better. Another challenge is developing how the six to nine year old and nine to 12-year-old kids are coached. If they get that right, the league will be incredibly strong because there’s a huge potential talent pool in a country of 300 million where soccer is widely played.”
Kaka and David Villa are among the big names who will play in MLS this season, both joining clubs about to play their first games in the MLS.
The Brazilian will play for Orlando City, managed by Englishman Adrian Heath, while the Spaniard will be at New York City in a league that has 20 teams split over two divisions. Three of the teams are based in Canada.
“It’s great to see players like that in the league,” Meulensteen said.
"They saw that David Beckham did well and still returned to play for top European clubs. They saw that Thierry Henry did well and that Robbie Keane was the top scorer last season. The lifestyle in America appeals and the football and facilities are of a high standard."
It is not only good for players. Former Burnley and Bolton Wanderers coach Owen Coyle is in charge at Houston Dynamo, another club. Their former player Geoff Cameron has thrived since joining Premier League side Stoke City three years ago, proof that MLS can export as well as import top talent.
Meulensteen, who was at Alex Ferguson's side as United won four Premier League titles and reached three European Cup finals in four years, still intends to coach full time again, but for now he is enjoying his new part-time role in the revived MLS, where there are so many opportunities and challenges.
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