Abdel-Aziz Amro Tarek 1992 VfL Wolfsburg Germany 12/13 Acuña Sanchez Isaac 1989 Merida FC Mexico 11/12 Adjeman-Pamboe Kwame 1987 Panserraikos FC Greece 12/13 Afghani Adam 1988 FC Amberg Germany 10/11 Albelo Christian 1998 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Germany 12/13 Allen Ryan-Patrick 1986 TuS Maikammer Germany 12/13 Allison Anthony 1987 Härnösands FF Sweden 12 Altidore Josmer "Jozy" 1989 AZ Alkmaar Netherlands 11/12 Alvarado Aispuro Ventura 1992 Club America Mexico 08/09 Alvarez Arturo 1985 FC Pacos de Ferreira Portugal 11/12 Ampaipitakwong Anthony 1988 Buriram United Thailand 12 Anstett Steven 1985 TSV Pliezhausen Germany Antunez Jr. Burgos Daniel 1986 FC Inter Turku Finland 12 Aribiyi Gregory 1995 Southampton FC England Arreola Diaz Eder Smith 1991 Delfines del Carmen Mexico 12/13 Arrieta Suarez Mario Andres 1992 Queretaro FC Mexico 12/13 Avalos Anthony 1987 SK Vard Haugesund Norway 12 Bangura Abdul 1986 Härnösands FF Sweden 12 Banner Michael 1984 FF Jaro Finland 12 Barnes Patrick 1984 FC Viktoria 08 Urberach Germany 11/12 Barrett Chad 1985 Vålerenga Fotball Norway Loan-12 Barry Shawn 1990 LASK Linz Austria 10/11 Bartlome Chad 1983 BSC Old Boys Switzerland 11/12 Bauer Kevin 1992 SSV Jahn Regensburg Germany Bayonne Gilbert 1988 Tanjong Pagar United Singapore 12 Beasley DaMarcus 1982 Puebla FC Mexico 11/12 Bedoya Alejandro 1987 Helsingborgs IF Sweden 12 Beloya Joshua 1991 Kaya FC Philippines Benjaminsen Eric 1992 Stabaek IF Norway 07 Benn Adam 1988 Neindorfer TSV Germany 12/13 Bernardo Vincenzo 1990 Deportivo Coatepeque Guatemala 12/13 Bernstein Rhett 1987 Mjondalen IF Norway 11 Bijev Villyan 1993 IK Start Norway Loan-12 Blank Cedric 1996 Karlsruher SC Germany 12/13 Bocanegra Carlos 1979 Real Racing Club de Santander Spain Loan-12/13 Bocanegra Vega Ricardo Roberto 1989 Atlas Mexico 07/08 Bornstein Jonathan Rey 1984 Tigres UANL Mexico 10/11 Borromeo Aly 1983 Kaya FC Philippines Botero Arango Juan Sebastian 1986 CD Cucuta Deportivo Colombia 12 Bouraee Matthew 1988 Adelaide Comets Australia 12 Boyd Terrence 1991 Rapid Vienna Austria 12/13 Bradley Michael 1987 AS Roma Italy 12/13 Brooks John Anthony 1993 Hertha BSC Berlin Germany 06/07 Burkey Nate 1985 Kaya FC Philippines 12 Burns Craig 1992 Waterford United Ireland 12 Burns Colin 1982 Sandefjord Fotball Norway Loan-11 Byrd Kristopher "Kris" 1988 IF Höttur Iceland 12 Cameron Geoffrey "Geoff" 1985 Stoke City FC England 12/13 Campos Eloy 1979 Tus Hoppstaedten Germany 12/13 Canouse Russell 1995 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Germany 10/11 Castanheira Dylan 1995 Bristol City FC England 12/13 Castillo Carillo Edgar Eduardo 1986 Club Tijuana X de C Mexico 11/12 Chakraborty Surjya 1991 TuS Germania Schnelsen Germany Chandler Timothy 1990 1. FC Nuernberg Germany 10/11 Chandler Nolan 1988 Kongsvinger IL Norway 12 Chavarri Rodriguez Diego Iván 1989 Sport Huancayo Peru 12 Chavez Badillo Carlo Ivan 1997 Club Tijuana X de C Mexico 11/12 Cherundulo Steve 1979 Hannover 96 Germany 98/99 Chijindu Chukwudi "Chuck" 1986 Þór Akureyri Iceland 12 Clark Ricardo 1983 Stabaek IF Norway Loan-12 Clark Steve 1986 Honefoss BK Norway 10 Claus Ian Prescott 1993 TSV Kropp Germany 12/13 Cline William 1995 Bristol City FC England 12/13 Collins Duane-Carl 1982 TURA Untermuenkheim Germany 12/13 Corcoran Chris 1983 Gamlakarleby BK Finland 11 Corea Dustin 1992 Jönköpings Södra IF Denmark 12 Corona Crespin Joe Benny 1990 Club Tijuana X de C Mexico 09/10 Cowan Don 1989 Stevenage FC England 11/12 Cream Max 1987 Bournemouth FC England 11/12 Crnkic Nermin 1992 FC Andrea Doria Sweden 12 Cropper Cody 1993 Southampton FC England 12/13 Cue Robert 1983 FV Bad Vilbel Germany 10/11 Cue Steven 1987 FV Bad Vilbel Germany 08/09 Cuevas Granados Daniel 1993 Club Santos Laguna Mexico 11/12 Cunningham Sean 1993 Stabaek IF Norway Loan-12 Davies Charlie 1986 Randers FC Denmark 12/13 De Grood Cody 1990 TuS Wesfalia Wethmar Germany 11/12 Del Rosario Anton 1981 Kaya FC Philippines Delaney Thomas 1991 FC Kobenhavn Denmark 09/10 Dellinger Michael 1993 Wuerzburger FV Germany Dempsey Clint 1983 Tottenham Hotspur FC England 12/13 Denny Jay 1986 Worcester City FC England 12/13 Dewee Lester 1992 Gimo IF Sweden 12 Diskerud Mikkel "Mix" 1990 Rosenborg BK Norway 12 Djite Bruce 1987 Adelaide United Australia 11/12 Doyle Conor 1991 Derby County FC England 10/11 Duffy Jamie 1983 Longford Town FC Ireland 12 Dum Skyler 1988 FC Zell am See Austria 12/13 Dunn Matthew 1994 OFK Beograd Germany 11/12 Ebot-Etchi Junior 1996 Hertha BSC Berlin Germany 08/09 Edu Maurice 1986 Stoke City FC England 12/13 Edwards Brian 1984 Degerfors IF Sweden 11 Eissele Christian 1992 PS Kemi Kings Finland 12 Emory Steven 1989 IF Kraft Narpes Finland 12 Fennell Royal-Dominique 1989 Stuttgarter Kickers Germany 08/09 Ferguson Michael TSG Burglichtenberg Germany 11/12 Figari Aurelio Saco-Vertiz 1989 Club Universitario de Deportes Peru 11 Findley Robbie 1985 Nottingham Forest England 10/11 Frias Flores Jaime Jr. 1993 Chivas Guadalajara Mexico 09/10 Friedel Brad 1971 Tottenham Hotspur FC England 11/12 Funicello Giuseppe "Joe" 1987 Þór Akureyri Iceland 12 Gaitan Nicholas 1995 CA Boca Juniors Argentina 11/12 Gall Romain 1995 FC Lorient France 11/12 Garcia Montoya Emilio 1994 Club de Futbol Pachuca Mexico 08/09 Garza Early Gregory Martin 1991 Club Tijuana X de C Mexico 11/12 Garza Garza Victor Hazael 1992 Tigres UANL Mexico 08/09 Gatt Josh 1991 Molde FK Norway 11 George Jann 1992 1. FC Nuernberg Germany 02/03 Gerzicich Bryan Paul 1984 Hapoel Kiryat Shmona Israel 10/11 Gomez Hurtado Herculez 1982 Club Santos Laguna Mexico 11/12 Gonzalez Edgar Deportivo Coatepeque Guatemala 12/13 Gonzalez Emerson Jesus Alexandre 1992 CD de los Altos Mexico 12/13 Gonzalez Fernandez Ruben 1997 Club Tijuana X de C Mexico 10/11 Gooch Lynden 1995 Sunderland AFC England 12/13 Goodson Clarence 1982 Brondby IF Denmark 10/11 Gracia Ryan 1990 Bodens BK Sweden 12 Green Julian 1995 Bayern Munich Germany Grella Mike 1987 Scunthorpe United FC England 12/13 Guadarrama Bermudez Sonny Alejandro 1987 Merida FC Mexico 10/11 Guido Perez Alejandro Eugenio 1994 Club Tijuana X de C Mexico 11/12 Gustafsson Edward "Eddie" 1977 Red Bull Salzburg Austria 08/09 Guzan Brad 1984 Aston Villa FC England 08/09 Gyau Joseph-Claude 1992 FC St. Pauli Germany Loan-12/13 Hamada Mizuki 1990 Urawa Red Diamonds Japan 06 Hammond James Joseph 1988 FC Wuerzburger Kickers Germany 93/94 Hangeland Brede 1981 Fulham FC England 07/08 Hanlon Connor 1993 Borussia Fulda Germany Heider Marc 1986 Holstein Kiel Germany 09/10 Helton Kyle 1986 Mjondalen IF Norway 11 Henley Adam 1994 Blackburn Rovers England 01 Hernandez Moises 1992 CSD Communicaciones Guatemala Loan-12/13 Hernandez Garcia Joaquin Alonso 1994 Rayados de Monterrey Mexico 11/12 Hines Sebastian "Seb" 1988 Middlesbrough FC England 06/07 Hochhaus Morten 1993 SV 07 Elversberg Germany Holden Stuart 1985 Bolton Wanderers FC England 09/10 Holden Euan 1988 Stockport County FC England 11/12 Hopkins Patrick 1987 Ljungskile SK Sweden 12 Horgan Neal 1979 Cork City Ireland 99-09 Howard Tim 1979 Everton FC England 06/07 Hoyos Michael 1991 Estudiantes de la Plata Argentina Hoyos Kevin 1993 Estudiantes de la Plata Argentina Huerzeler Fabian 1993 FC Bayern Munich Germany Hunt Morgan IFK Lammhult Sweden 12 Husidic Adis "Baggio" 1987 Hammarby Fotboll Sweden 12 Hyndman Emerson 1996 Fulham FC England 12/13 Ibarra Tixe Miguel Washington 1984 Barcelona SC Ecuador Loan-11 Illari Brienno Angelo-Marco SG Blaubach-Diedelkopf Germany Jarun Omar 1983 RC Sporting de Charleroi Belgium 12/13 Jeffrey Jared 1990 1. FSV Mainz Germany 09/10 Jensen Kenneth Di Vita 1990 Honefoss BK Norway 06 Jerome Stefan 1992 Nyköpings BIS Sweden 12 Joergens Jared 1985 1 FC Kaan-Marienborn Germany 11/12 Johannsson Aron 1990 AGF Aarhus Denmark 10/11 Johnson Reda 1988 Sheffield Wednesday FC England 10/11 Johnson Fabian 1987 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Germany 11/12 Johnson Jemal 1985 Tamworth FC England 12/13 Jones Mike 1988 FC Hjørring Denmark 12/13 Jones Jermaine 1981 FC Schalke 04 Germany 07/08 Joya Jimenez Hector Benjamin "Benji" 1993 Santos Laguna Mexico 11/12 Juckem Garth 1985 SV Altlüdersdorf Germany 12/13 Kang Su-Il 1987 Jeju United S. Korea 11 Kazlauskas Charles 1982 Helmond Sport Netherlands 09/10 Kiesewetter Jerome-Julien 1993 Hertha BSC Berlin Germany 07/08 King Brendan 1990 Bray Wanderers AFC Ireland 12 Kljestan Sacha 1985 RSC Anderlecht Belgium 10/11 Koukladas Konstantinos "Kosta" 1995 Rot-Weiss Essen Germany 09/10 Kronholm Kenneth 1985 SV 07 Elversberg Germany 12/13 Lane Patrick "Pat" 1988 Karlstad BK Sweden 12 Lewis Garry 1986 Ekenäs IF Finland 12 Lichaj Eric 1988 Aston Villa FC England 07/08 Lletget Sebastian 1992 West Ham United England 09/10 Logan Dominique 1987 FC Fortuna Schatthausen Germany 11/12 LoSarah Ladule Lado 1987 St. Ann's Rangers T&T 12/13 Luetkehans Kyle 1989 Helsinki IFK Finland 12 Luna Martinez Uvaldo 1993 Tigres UANL Mexico 08/09 Magaña Cisneros Bernabe 1993 Pumas UNAM Mexico 10/11 Martinez Carlos Alberto 1992 FC Rot-Weiss Erfurt Germany 11/12 Martir Campos Luis Alberto 1995 Chivas Guadalajara Mexico 10/11 Maurer Jimmy 1988 CD Universidad de Conception Chile 12 Mayen Gerson 1989 CD FAS El Salvador 12/13 McCargo Tyrone 1993 1. FC Nuernberg Germany 11/12 Medina Nathan 1986 FC Fortuna Schatthausen Germany 11/12 Mehrez Jonathan 1993 Moss FK Norway 11 Mendez Antonio Matthew 1994 Cuautla UNILA Mexico 12/13 Menjivar Richardo 1990 Blokhus FC Denmark 12/13 Miller Ryan 1984 Halmstads BK Sweden 10 Montiel Elizalde Juan Justino 1994 Topos de Roynosa Mexico 12/13 Moose Justin 1983 SJK Finland 12 Morales Alfredo 1990 Hertha BSC Berlin Germany 00/01 Morales Zavala Julio Cesar 1993 Chivas Guadalajara Mexico 10/11 Morice Maxime "Max" 1993 Stade Rennais FC France 12/13 Mowlik Mariusz 1981 MKS Miedz Legnica Poland 11/12 Moy Lexton 1983 Kaya FC Philippines 12 Mupier Mira 1982 Aars FC Denmark 10/11 Myhill Glyn Oliver "Boaz" 1982 West Bromwich Albion FC England 10/11 Nardiello Daniel 1982 Rotherham United England 12/13 Nicklaw Shawn 1989 HB Koge Denmark 12/13 Nimo Alex 1990 JK Tammeka Tartu Estonia 12 Noble Seth "T.S." 1981 Friska Viljor FC Sweden 11 Nungaray Arce Ernest 1992 Neza FC Mexico 12/13 O'Brien Conor 1988 SønderjyskE A/S Denmark 11/12 Ocegueda de Albo Juan Pablo 1993 Tigres UANL Mexico 08/09 Okada Masami 1991 ETSV Weiche Germany 10/11 Okada Tayuka 1994 Holstein Kiel Germany Olow Zachary 1990 SSV Ulm 1846 Germany 11/12 Onyewu Oguchi 1982 Malaga CF Spain Loan-12/13 Ordell Blake 1985 Edsbyns IF Sweden 12 Orozco Fiscal Michael 1986 Club San Luis Mexico 11/12 Orozco Gonzalez Moises 1992 Correcaminos UAT Mexico Loan-12/13 Packwood Will 1993 Birmingham City FC England 07/08 Padilla Cisneros Jesus Andres 1987 Chivas Guadalajara Mexico 06/07 Palacios Edgar Ytterhogdals IK Sweden 12 Parker Shawn 1993 1. FSV Mainz Germany Parker Devante 1996 1. FSV Mainz Germany Parkhurst Michael 1984 FC Nordsjaelland Denmark 08/09 Parra Irvin 1993 SVN Zweibruecken Germany 12/13 Patrick Jordan 1991 Cambridge City FC England 12/13 Patterson-Sewell Caleb Cordell 1987 Vitoria Setubal Portugal 12/13 Pawlowicz Steven 1994 TV 21 Buechenbach Germany 11/12 Pelosi Marc 1994 Liverpool FC England 11/12 Perez Aguilar Justin Allen 1992 Rayados de Monterrey Mexico 07/08 Petrone Samuel 1989 Leiknir Reyjkavik Finland 12 Phelan Patrick "Pat" 1985 SJK Finland 12 Phillips Shaquille Kyle 1992 Nyköpings BIS Sweden 12 Piedrahita Velasco Kevin Wilson 1991 Itagui Detaires Colombia 12 Pittman Jon-Paul 1986 Oxford United FC England 11/12 Pittman Scott 1992 Broxburn Athletic Scotland 11/12 Poltronieri Mendez Brandon Anthony 1986 ADFC Universidad de CR Costa Rica 12/13 Ponce Briseno Miguel Angel 1989 Chivas Guadalajara Mexico 09/10 Ponce Briseo Miguel Angel 1989 Chivas Guadalajara Mexico 09/10 Poulsen Simon 1984 UC Sampdoria Italy 12/13 Punyed Pablo 1990 Fjölnir FC Iceland 12 Purdy Robin 1992 FK Pirmasens Germany 11/12 Pyzdrowski Matt 1986 Ängelholms FF Sweden 11 Quainoo Bernard 1987 K. Rupel Boom FC Belgium 12/13 Quaranta Santino 1984 Siliguri India 12 Quintal Ryan FC Fortuna Schatthausen Germany 11/12 Rachubka Paul 1981 Leeds United FC England 11/12 Ramsey Marcel 1990 TSG Sprockhövel Germany 12/13 Randolph Darren 1987 Motherwell FC Scotland 10/11 Ransom Larry 1983 Sportfreunde Seligenstadt Germany 11/12 Ream Tim 1987 Bolton Wanderers FC England 11/12 Recklet Shane 1987 VFC Plauen Germany 12/13 Reid Jamie 1994 Exeter City FC England Reid Craig 1995 St. Johnstone FC Scotland 11/12 Robertson Lewis 1990 Huntly FC Scotland 11/12 Robinson Dominic 1991 BC Aichach Germany 12/13 Roca Samuel 1988 Ytterhogdals IK Sweden 12 Rodriguez Mario 1994 1. FC Kaiserslautern Germany 12/13 Rodriguez Raul Alberto 1994 Club Tijuana X de C Mexico 11/12 Rodriguez Loera Esteban "Stevie" 1994 Club Tijuana X de C Mexico 11/12 Rogers Robbie 1987 Stevenage FC England Loan-12/13 Rogers Danny 1994 Aberdeen FC Scotland Roget Cameron 1990 St. Ann's Rangers T&T 11/12 Romero Jonahan "Jonah" 1988 Kaya FC Philippines Rosenthal Greg 1988 Gamla Upsala SK Sweden 11 Rossi Giuseppe 1987 Villareal CF Spain 07/08 Ruddy Dean 1982 Hythe Town FC England 11/12 Ruelas Aguilar Gustavo Adrian 1991 Club Tiburones Rojos de VC Mexico Loan-12/13 Ruiz Jr. Juan Jose 1997 San Luis FC Mexico 11/12 Rusin Bradford "Brad" 1986 HB Køge Denmark 11/12 Sakai Gotoku 1991 VfB Stuttgart Germany Loan-11/12 Sanchez Cantu Erik Eliud 1994 Santos Los Mochis Mexico 12/13 Sanyang Bakary 1994 1. FC Kaiserslautern Germany 10/11 Saucedo Najera Cirilo 1982 Club Tijuana X de C Mexico 11/12 Saul Christopher Ytterhogdals IK Sweden 12 Sawchak Kevin 1988 Ekenäs IF Finland 12 Schuler Billy 1990 Nacka FF Sweden Loan-12 Schwartz Evan 1987 Vikingur Reykjaivk Iceland 12 Sciocchetti Eric 1986 FC Singen Germany 09/10 Scott Kristian "Kris" 1995 Stoke City FC England Scott Kyle 1997 Chelsea FC England Seabrook Jordan 1987 FC Haka Finland 12 Shields Cody 1989 VfL Osnabrueck Germany 12/13 Shiposh Zack 1993 FT Braunschweig Germany 10/11 Silva Rodrigues Steven 1985 Leixoes SC Portugal 12/13 Simek Frank 1984 Carlisle United England 10/11 Simmons Kevin 1983 FC Viktoria Urberach Germany 12/13 Smeltz Shane 1981 Perth Glory Australia 10/11 Smith Lawrence 1985 Gamlakarleby BK Finland 10 Smith Ralph 1994 SC Halberg-Brebach Germany 12/13 Span Brian "Cobi" 1992 Djurgårdens IF Sweden 12 Spector Jonathan 1986 Birmingham City FC England 11/12 Spies David 1994 VfL Bochum Germany Spivack Joey 1990 PS Kemi Kings Finland 12 Stadler Andrew 1988 Sandvikens IF Sweden 11 Stanko Caleb 1993 SC Freiburg Germany 11/12 Starikov Evgeny "Eugene" 1988 Rostov FC Russia Loan-12 Staubli Remo 1988 FC Aarau Switzerland 11/12 Stevens Daniel 1985 PS Kemi Kings Finland 11 Stewart Tim 1983 Rhode/r+b Netherlands 07/08 Storey Marcus 1982 BSV Rehden Germany 12/13 Storrs Brent 1978 FC Fortuna Schatthausen Germany 11/12 Stowers Michael 1986 Young Boys Reutlingen Germany 12/13 Streater Nikolaj "Niko" 1990 RSV Goettingen Germany 12/13 Strohmann Gregory "Greg" 1979 Usinger TSG Germany 11/12 Subotic Neven 1988 Borussia Dortmund Germany 08/09 Tabe Etchu 1986 KuPS Finland 12 Tall Maki 1995 Le Mans FC France Tampakis Alexandros "Alex" 1992 Panathinaikos FC Greece Tasigianis Loukas Ergotelis FC Greece 12/13 Tavernese Joseph "Joey" 1989 Armadale SC Australia 12 Taylor Matt 1981 Preussen Muenster Germany 12/13 Taylor Tony 1989 GD Estoril-Praia Portugal 09/10 Thompson Omar 1995 Wigan Athletic England 11/12 Tice Robbie 1990 Nesodden IF Norway 12 Torre Daniel 1988 St. Ann's Rangers T&T 12/13 Torres Mezzell Jose Francisco 1987 Club de Futbol Pachuca Mexico 05/06 Toure Ansu 1981 FC Vestjaelland Denmark 12/13 Trafford Mason 1986 IFK Mariehamn Finland 10 Treviño Uranga Luis Alexander 1997 Tigres UANL Mexico 11/12 Troupe Sebastian 1992 Baerum SK Norway Troupe Fred 1995 Baerum SK Norway Tsiskaridze Zourab 1986 Jönköpings Södra IF Sweden 12 Valentini Aaron SG Blaubach-Diedelkopf Germany Vasquez Palacios Angel 1992 Zacatepec 1948 Mexico 12/13 Vidal Amaro Marco Antonio 1986 Lobos BUAP Mexico 12/13 Ward Mackenzie "Mack" 1988 Friska Viljor FC Sweden 11 Washington Quinton Levan 1995 Hamburger SV Germany 09/10 Weber James Gullringens GoIF Sweden 12 Wenzel Andrew 1986 Chepstow Town FC Wales 11/12 Westberg Quentin 1986 US de Luzenac France 12/13 Weston Anthony 1994 SG Blaubach-Diedelkopf Germany 10/11 Whalen Sean Tremaine 1981 JK Tallinna Kalev Estonia 10 Wheeler Aaron 1988 FC KooTeePee Finland 12 Whitbread Zak 1984 Leicester City FC England 12/13 Wicks Josh 1983 Þór Akureyri Iceland 12 Williams Derrick 1993 Aston Villa FC England Williams Daniel 1989 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim Germany 11/12 Wilson Jacob 1986 CD Feirense Portugal 12/13 Wimsatt Richard 1990 SV Sandhausen Germany 12/13 Wommer Ryan 1993 SV 07 Elversberg Germany Wommer Henry 1997 SV 07 Elversberg Germany Wood Bobby Shou 1992 TSV 1860 Muenchen Germany 06/07 Woodward Samuel 1987 IF Gnistan Finland 12 Wooten Andrew 1989 SV Sandhausen Germany Loan-12/13 Wright Chris 1987 Berliner AK 07 Germany 12/13 Yao Devann 1990 Royal Boussu Dour Borinage Belgium 10/11 Yarbrough Story William Paul 1989 Club Leon Mexico 12/13 Yelldell David 1981 Bayer Leverkusen Germany 11/12 Zahavi Alexander Abraham 1991 SC Olhanense Portugal Loan-12/13 Zimmerman Preston 1988 SV Darmstadt 98 Germany 11/12 That's a list of Yanks abroad. Even if you eliminate half the players off this list who are either way above or way below MLS level you still have well over 100 players that MLS teams would love to sort through if given a chance. That would be at least 5 players per team. And this list doesn't include Canadians. With them you'd have at least 6-7 MLS caliber players per team.
Would young foreigners really sign up with a league that won't even give them the freedom to choose their team?
I'm thinking that there's more going on here than we know about...I doubt that the league is simply going out and snatching up random players. My guess would be that the league is scouting these players, sharing their results with the clubs, and then acting on behalf of the ones that are interested in a particular player.
IMO there's a lot more than ha;f that list that MLS has no realistic shot at signing or aren't good enough for MLS. When I went through the Yanks Abroad list (I assume that's where this list came from) before Christmas I came up with maybe 50-60 and that included some questionable players that probably wouldn't really help out MLS rosters.
Are we watching the same league? The MLS I watch still has Ballouchy and Barrett getting significant minutes. And that's not even close to the bottom of the barrel
I suspect you're right. It also keeps with the idea of creating theoretically valuable assets (i.e. your position in the allocation order) out of thin air for teams, especially struggling ones. Which is something Garber vigorously defended at last year's All-Star game when Keller tried to pin him down on the question, IIRC, of why Hahnemann wasn't just allowed to come back home and directly sign with whomever he wanted. And as previously pointed out by many here, there shouldn't be any doubt that the league is frustrated that more haven't taken advantage of the changes they introduced with the youth DP rules. I think it was Lagerwey who, when asked about the topic, said that while it was a nice idea, it just wasn't something a team like RSL would be able to use. At the time, it sounded like sour grapes to me, but ultimately he's been proven correct.
I'd be willing to bet that Bollouchy and Barrett are better than some no name dip shit in the Finnish 2nd division. Your list includes every single person with an ounce of US blood in them playing in every league on earth. You can whittle that list down pretty significantly pretty quickly with regards to who might be able to contribute in MLS.
Ok, lets actually look at your list. I can tell you that just at first glance there are at least 23 players that have been in MLS and washed out or didn't even make it past a tryout (or came back from abroad and washed out of the NASL or USL). Furthermore, let's look at the players that came from abroad the last few years and are still in MLS: Michael Thomas, Kamani Hill, Lee Ngyuen, Benny Feilhaber, Hunter Freeman, Kenny Cooper, and Sal Zizzo. So seven players. The list of players that didn't make it? Nick Noble, Cody Arnoux, Jeremy Voulo, Jonathan Borrajo, Bryan Arguez, Charles Renken, Ian Joyce, Pari Pantazopoulos, Gabriel Ferrari, and Matt Luzunaris. That is 10 players. Of that list of 7 that have stayed in all but two (Freeman and Thomas) have had a senior national team cap. None of the 10 that washed out had a single cap. If you seriously looked at the entire list of players you'd find that most of them have a lot more in common with the players that washed out or with a player like Vincenzo Bernardo than a player that actually stays in this league. You want to tell me there are 5 or 6 MLS caliber per team players in that list then then burden of proof is on you to show us that, because history shows that the players on that list are much more likely to wash out of MLS than actually be better than what is here now.
To be fair Joyce played for 3 seasons and was Pickens primary backup in the Cup-winning year (starting a game and getting a shutout IIRC when Pickens wasn't able to go) before being surpassed by Ceus. He did get surpassed and has "washed out" but its not like he showed up to training camp and got cut.
I know, but was he THAT much better than what was out there? No. He never became a starter and eventually was replaced by Ceus. He was no better than any of the current crop of keepers already in MLS as backups. To say that he would raise the quality of play would be a lie because he wouldn't, just like most players on this list. To really qualify as an improvement he'd need to stick around longer than most of the college keepers that get drafted to be backups.
"Dear MLS . . ." "This is a salary cap . . . .." "These are young players. They must be under the age (?). They are salary cap exempt. Each team gets (quantity) of young players." I can't wait until next year when the league annouces the "new and improved P-40 1/2" squad that will be participating in USL to gain valuable experience!"
Your list of returning players that have stuck in MLS overlooks a lot of players. I'll just list the ones that came back from lesser known clubs Ryan Guy - St Patrick Athletic Lamar Neagle - Mariehamn Cam Weaver - Haugesund Dan Kennedy - Municipal Iquique Cesar Romero - Murcielagos Gale Agbossoumonde - Estoril Praia Brad Rusin - HB Koge I'm sure there's more.
Ask and you shall receive ... Let's whittle the list down. First of all eliminate all the players that are American only in name but never played HS or college or pro soccer in the US. Then eliminate anyone who's switched over to another nation since leaving. Then eliminate all the youth team and reserve team players ... and all the 4th division Finland types. This is what you're left with. I broke them down into 3 groups ... The first group is players that have actually been on MLS roster in the past. Certainly not an indication that they could ever make a roster in the future, but looking at the list I'd say most of them would at least get a strong look. Jozy Altidore - 23 - AZ Anthony Ampaipitakwong - 24 - Buriram United Mike Banner - 28 - FF Jaro DaMarcus Beasley - 30 - Puebla Carlos Bocanegra - 33 - Rangers Jonathan Bornstein - 28 - UANL Juan Sebastian Botero - 26 - Cucuta Deportivo Michael Bradley - 25 - Roma Geoff Cameron - 27 - Stoke City Chukwudi Chijindu - 26 - Thor Chris Corcoran - 29 - GBK Charlie Davies - 26 - Randers FC Clint Dempsey - 29 - Tottenham Hotspur Maurice Edu - 26 - Stoke City Brian Edwards - 28 - Degerfors IF Steven Emory - 23 - Narpes Kraft FF Brad Friedel - 41 - Tottenham Hotspur Herculez Gomez - 30 - Santos Laguna Clarence Goodson - 30 - Brondby Brad Guzan - 28 - Aston Villa Kyle Helton - 26 - Mjondalen Stuart Holden - 27 - Bolton Wanderers Tim Howard - 33 - Everton Baggio Husidic - 25 - Hammarby IF Mike Jones - 24 - Hjorring Sacha Kljestan - 27 - Anderlecht Jimmy Maurer - 24 - Universidad De Concepcion Gerson Mayen - 23 - FAS Ryan Miller - 28 - Halmstad Justin Moose - 29 - SJK Alex Nimo - 22 - Tammeka Michael Parkhurst - 28 - FC Augsburg Caleb Patterson Sewell - 25 - Vitoria Setubal Pat Phelan - 27 - SJK Tim Ream - 25 - Bolton Wanderers Robbie Rogers - 25 - Leeds United Marcus Storey - 30 - SV Drochtersen Assel Matt Taylor - 31 - Preussen Munster Josh Wicks - 29 - Thor That's 39 players. That's about 2 per team. Next is a list of players that skipped ever playing professionally in the US. They went straight into the foreign market. This is the worrisome list because these players we miss out on completely. Lots of youth on this list ... many future potential NT players. I'd say most on this list would get a look from most MLS coaches. Shawn Barry - 22 - LASK Linz Alejandro Bedoya - 25 - Helsingborg Villyan Bijev - 20 - Liverpool Edgar Castillo - 26 - Tijuana Steve Cherundolo - 33 - Hannover 96 Dustin Corea - 20 - Jonkopings Sodra Joe Corona - 22 - Tijuana Sean Cunningham - 19 - Molde Conor Doyle - 21 - Derby County Matt Dunn - 18 - OFK Beograd Greg Garza - 21 - Tijuana Josh Gatt - 21 - Molde Alejandro Guido - 18 - Tijuana Joe Gyau - 20 - 1899 Hoffenheim Michael Hoyos - 21 - Estudiantes De La Plata Benji Joya - 19 - Santos Laguna Charles Kazlauskas - 30 - Helmond Sport Oguchi Onyewu - 30 - Sporting CP Michael Orozco Fiscal - 26 - San Luis Frank Simek - 28 - Carlisle United Lawrence Smith - 27 - Vaasan Palloseura Jonathan Spector - 26 - Birmingham City Remo Staubli - 24 - FC Aarau Etchu Tabe - 26 - KuPS Jose Francisco Torres - 25 - UANL Bobby Wood - 20 - 1860 Munich Preston Zimmerman - 24 - SV Darmstadt 08 That's another 27 players. Let's assume that only about 19 are in the MLS ballpark. That's another player per club. The last list is more of a jumble of journeymen, but one thing they all have in common is that they have experience in the US minor leagues. There may be some MLS gems in this list, but if not at least we're talking about talent for USL and NASL Kwame Adjeman Pamboe - 25 - Agrotikos Asteras Anthony Allison - 25 - Harnosands FF Daniel Antunez - 26 - Inter Turku Vincenzo Bernardo - 22 - Deportivo Guastatoya Matthew Bouraee - 24 - Adelaide Comets Colin Burns - 30 - Sarpsborg 08 Steve Clark - 26 - Honefoss BK Max Cream - 25 - Bournemouth FC Giuseppe Funicello - 25 - Thor Akureyri Mike Grella - 25 - Scunthorpe United Sonny Guadarrama - 25 - Atlante Garry Lewis - 26 - SalPa Eric Lichaj - 24 - Aston Villa Ladule Lako LoSarah - 25 - Central FC Shawn Nicklaw - 23 - HB Koge Conor O'Brien - 24 - SonderjyskE Samuel Petrone - 23 - Mjallby AIF Matt Pyzdrowski - 26 - Angelholm Jonahan Romero - 26 - Kaya FC Jordan Seabrook - 25 - Haka Brian Span - 20 - Djurgardens IF Eugene Starikov - 24 - Zenit Saint Petersburg Joey Tavernese - 23 - Armadale SC Tony Taylor - 23 - Estoril Praia Mason Trafford - 26 - IFK Mariehamn Zourab Tsiskaridze - 26 - Jonkopings Sodra Aaron Wheeler - 24 - FC KooTeePee That's another 37 players. Maybe you find another 10 players in the MLS ballpark in this list. That's another .5 players per club. So far we've got about 3.5 players per club that would be in some consideration for an MLS roster spot. I don't have time to go through the Canadian players, but there's got to be some players we're missing out on there too. Granted I take this list with a grain of salt. Obviously there's some players here that are just too many notches above MLS to ever consider MLS even at a multi million DP contract. But on the other hand to suggest that MLS doesn't miss out on talent on a regular basis is not a correct statement either.
BTW, the very first name on your third list was drafted by MLS but didn't make the cut. I didn't look to see if anyone else there was in a similar situation. I would also eliminate anyone playing in one of the top 4-5 countries, even at a lower level. That takes 20 or so off the list. So that's down to 2-4 per team that MLS could even consider targeting. Add in the fact that some of these players are playing in their "homelands" (either by birth or by ancestry) even though they are still American, which makes it harder to attract them back (I'm thinking largely of a number of players playing in Mexico). Looking at these lists I still think, in reality, there's maybe about 1 American player playing overseas per MLS team that MLS could realistically bring back and they're missing out on. I just don't see a player, or generously 2, as being worth the angst people are showing over players going overseas. MLS is never going to get every player they can. Just isn't going to happen.
In a way we sort of need other leagues to take some of our players. MLS is just not big enough to truly handle and give opportunities to all these players. Unlike other countries, we don't have a healthy second division to handle all of these prospects. For instance, do we truly believe that MLS would have discovered and developed all those Mexican-Americans? At this point, unlikely.
It's healthy to have players moving abroad, but only to leagues/clubs that are better than MLS. What we see though is a large exodus of journeymen going to small leagues and small clubs all over the place. That doesn't reflect well on the overall pyramid in the US. Many of those players should be in MLS academies or in the minor leagues. Another problem I see is that every year we have 2 or 3 players that already have a youth reputation, and they skip the US professional circuit entirely and start their careers abroad. The number of teenagers in reserve teams/youth academies abroad is also disappointing. None of this is catastrophic, MLS retains just enough talent that the current salary cap can support. And the MLS draft still does very well. And we're starting to see homegrown players graduate. But if we believe that MLS is somewhere around the 20-25th best league in the world, the goal should be that no player leaves unless they're going to one of the 20 leagues above us. Players like Alejandro Bedoya or Josh Gatt should 100% be in MLS.
If they aren't good enough for MLS, who gives a shit if they are playing for the Rochester Rhinos or FC Djbimble******** of the Moldovan 12th division?
Fans in Rochester? (And yes, that is not directly an MLS concern or issue, but there does seem to be some recent importance to MLS "supporting strong lower divisions" here.) And if the player improves or develops in any way, then it perhaps or likely would be easier to get that player into MLS from a place/club like Rocherster, rather than say from some lower level foreign league.
While I agree with your general I strongly disagree with your last line. Even in the leagues that aren't "as good" as MLS, many of these clubs have much better youth programs, coaching and facilities than what you can get here (generally). Not to mention that it is hard to justify paying these kids what they get abroad when you've got lifers in MLS topping out at, what,$500K? 600K? (The Chings, Josephs, Davis', etc)
How can you say that Bedoya and Gatt should be 100% in the MLS? Let's look at what Gatt has been exposed to - trained and under the tutelage of Ole Gunnar (ex- Man U legend), playing in Champions/Europa League last year and will do again this year. You can not get that in the MLS. For him, I think he is in the perfect position. If you are saying that he has reached his peek and there is nowhere higher for him to go, then I could somewhat see your point. But if he has not reached his ceiling (and there are those that believe he has not), then I would say he is 100% where he should be - exposed to Europe and coached by managers that have access to many clubs across the continent. The MLS is not the be-all/end all for US players.
So this list includes a bunch of guys that crapped out of MLS already, and then a bunch of guys who are playing in top 10 leagues around the world. And based on your own comments, its OK if MLS is losing players to top leagues. So this entire list is pure bullshit. So we're at 0 players. Again, based on your claim that it is OK to lose guys to leagues rated higher than MLS I've taken the liberty of crossing off a few more names. There are a couple more names on this list that already crapped out of MLS. So lets take them off the list. Then there are guys like Lawrence Smith, whose claim to fame is playing a grand total of 21 games in 3 seasons at club from Finland. There are a number of guys with this level of credential on this list. Nowhere near MLS level talent. So lets strike them off this list. Not even taking into account that the majority of names left on this list are Mexican American players that by default will always choose the Mexican first division if given the option, we are down to 15 names. Add the zero names from the first list and we are looking at 15 total guys so far that MLS has "missed out on". Realistically, its closer to 9. So over the course of an entire career they have proven that at no time were they good enough for MLS, including extended stints playing in the US where MLS teams could scout them very easily....so this list is zero names that make an MLS roster let alone improve the quality of play. Best case scenario, if MLS could keep all the Mexican American kids in MLS (which is a pipe dream in the best of circumstances) we're looking at less than 1 player per team from your list. Realistically, its closer to .5 players per team. Actually, it is a pretty accurate statement.
Because a pyramid is only as strong as the foundation it lays on. Part of that is the lower leagues. Part of that is the reserve leagues and youth academies. And in the US part of that is college soccer. Having more talent at those levels only helps MLS. My club (DC United) has 3 players on the roster that got signed from the minor leagues and another 3 that have been sent out on loan there. As an MLS fan I take interest in the growth of the minor leagues for many reasons.