That's just my number. I only looked at US-eligble players versus non-US-eligible.. Up until this year, Canadians counted as internationals when on American teams. I don't know if the rule has been changed. MLS, imo, isn't anti-domestic: the money simply changed. Increasing numbers of good players want to play in the league.
Once the numbers from the three teams yet to play are added, the total number of US-eligible starters should be similar to last season's total. The significant long term decline in the total number of domestic starters in MLS and the top leagues of Europe is due to the infusion of monies. This trend is most discernable in the EPL and MLS where the salaries have skyrocketed the most. As of late, the FA and the clubs have made massive investments in youth development, which has translated into success in youth international tournaments. We'll see if this helps to boost the number of English starters in the EPL.
MLS starting XIs are pretty high quality nowadays. Young players who can break into them, especially those of good teams, and especially at midfield and forward, have to be really good, as Miazga, EPB, Tabla, and Harrison, Davies, and Adams have shown. Players move abroad for money. Generally, the higher the salaries, the better the comp.
So you think those three teams will cause an 11 percentage point increase for the 23 teams? From what I counted, it should go up some, but only to about 35%, maybe a little under. Last year it was 42%, thats a big drop. English players are fleeing England to play in other leagues because they know they won't get a chance in England. That already happens for MLS. They actually say thats the reason. I also think you are wrong about how young players can break through. They don't have to be really good, they have to play at the right teams, which are teams that don't spend money. None have broken through at Toronto, LAG, NYCFC, Seattle, Atlanta.
I wonder what the percentage numbers are by age group? Did all age groups decline? Where did last year's American starters go? (I didn't do the math but am assuming that it is not only a percentage drop but an absolute drop) Are the players not starting a) retired b) in USL c) Europe d) on roster but no longer starting e) something else. My guess is that the youngest age groups probably had a higher percentage of players playing on opening day compared to last year but by a small numerical margin (possibly large percentage because there were so few last year). the rest....I have no idea.
The real thing is, what are MLS getting out of this trend. Last year 13 teams dropped attendance. This year LAG and NYCFC, two marquee teams, are apparently shedding season ticket holders. Because those markets don't care about signing playmakers from Malmo.
I'm looking at totals, not percentages. The number of US-eligible starters from the first week, when added to the number of the second week's US-eligible starters of the 3 teams yet to play, should be in the mid-70s. That's good. The comp in the Prem is the highest in the World. Gotta go where you can get games. Nah, these guys are going for the money: nothing wrong with that. But the vast majority won't see serious time in big-time Euro-leagues. And if it were all about game time they could have gone USL. Raheem Edwards, Gyasi Zardes, Ashtone Morgan, and Osorio all played some youth ball for MLS Clubs. NYCFC and Atlanta are too new.
Average attendance has risen for five straight years. NYRB 2-0 Tijuana. Red Bull won on the road. Unlike past victories over Mexican teams, this one didn't even have the feel of a major upset. There was no magic as during Montreal's CCL run. NYRB just took care of business. And they haven't even integrated all of their new players. That's what the greater investment in players and preparation does. The upshot is that breaking into these high-quality starting XIs will be tougher than ever.
Good lord. Comparing internationals here in the world's game to the internationals in our other sports leagues is like comparing a fork to a ferret.
If you think this is a problem, the solution is going to be slow. Some teams have several good young players, and mostly, though not totally, they are playing them. Other teams have few if any players on the fringes of the youth national teams. Pretty much all of the older national team players would prefer to stay in Europe (and remember how many people were angry at Bradley and Altidore coming back to MLS). If Sigi wanted to increase the percentage of the eligible players on the Galaxy, what could he have done beyond what he did?
Seriously, I watched four MLS games this weekend and never once did “High Quality” occur to me. It was entertaining, but that just proves two poor quality teams playing each other can show competition and energy. I want MLS to be good, but when the emperor is butt naked...
If you keep looking at it like that and not considering the percentage trend to be a problem, it'll get to the point where there will actually be less total Americans, despite a big increase in spots available. It actually might be that in a season or two, if its not that already. http://americansoccernow.com/articles/after-a-banner-year-in-2017-sargent-excited-for-the-future Thats a quote from Sargent. USSF's poster boy. If MLS is not even a top 20 league in the world and some of them think they are better off competing against the best in training every day, what makes you think they'd want to play in USL which isn't a top 50 league in the world? USL is a very low level. The best of these players are too good for the league once they can physically keep up. Morgan has played 15 games (in all competitions) the past two seasons, he was a third string LB. Not anything to write home about. Edwards is another one who isn't much to write home about, didn't even make Toronto's protected list. Zardes is a very weak example of the best player produced from those teams. I was also talking about top level players, not average (or worse) MLS'ers. Those teams I named (Atlanta, LAG, Seattle, Toronto, NYCFC) have some of the best academies in MLS. The best they can bring through is Zardes and Edwards?
It's not bright to expect the 1st season's games to be of high quality. I meant Doneil Henry, rather than Ashtone Morgan. Zardes scored a goal in the Copa America. He scored in an MLS Cup Final. And for the NT, he has scored a goal or assist at a rate for 1 every other 90. Players rarely acknowledge monetary motives as the primary reason for a move.
As the percentage goes down, so does the chances the USMNT can cakewalk through WCQ. https://mlsmultiplex.com/2018/03/07/mls-thrives-usmnt-withers-dichotomy/
In 3 #CCL victories over #LigaMX teams this week @MLS teams started 20 #USMNT-eligible (or soon-to-be) players: 6 by @NewYorkRedBulls, 7 by @torontofc (plus 1 Canadian!) and 7 by @Sounders (counting Bwana).You don't need 8, 9, 10 international players starting to succeed in MLS— Brooke Tunstall (@YesThatBrooke) March 8, 2018
I think there's a point here, but perhaps a more nuanced one. RBNY and Toronto look to me like very different teams. Toronto has 2 of their 3 DPs as Americans This is a hard strategy to reproduce across the league. I pretty sure there aren't 46 American players worth $4m per year. And of those who are, most will want to play abroad (seriously, how many could there be even at $2m?) In contrast, NYRB has been building through their academy. This every team can do, but hasn't done. There is no point in saying that because NYRB can start a bunch of youth, every MLS team can right now. IMO, the story here is about the failure (or not) of the academy programs, and the percentage of American players is not a very good measure of that.
It's too early to label academy programs a failure. LA Galaxy, on the other hand, do need to do better.
The high quality shone through tonight, during which we saw different models of team-building succeed.
the same # of american field players started in the schalke-koln game this weekend as in the NYCFC-portland game..... got me thinking the mls players union must already be dominated by non-us-eligible players.....not very likely mls players unite to protect americans at this point. ussf needs to step in, imo. it's getting out of hand..... if MLS had champions league-level rosters, then I might be able to understand this few americans playing in MLS......
This article came out two months ago but I just noticed it now. But apparently we're now at the point where the English are at in terms of how much (or how little) playing time our domestic players are seeing: But looking at the league as a whole, it's clear that foreign players are taking up more and more of the available playing time. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the percentage of minutes for U.S.-born players has fallen from 52.7 percent in 2013 to 42.2 percent last season. The numbers drop further when the number looks only at players eligible to play for the U.S., which includes a naturalized citizen like Darlington Nagbe, but not Steven Beitashour, who represents Iran. Numbers compiled by ESPN FC show that in 2017 that number shrunk to 37.7 percent from around 52 percent in 2012. By point of comparison, a study by the International Centre for Sports Studies' (CIES) Football Observatory found that halfway through the 2017-18 campaign, domestic players accounted for 38.8 percent of the minutes in the Premier League and 50.5 percent of playing time in the Bundesliga. Quite depressing.