I have always had an eye on MLS but over the last couple of years I have begun following it very closely. I am curious to know if constant player movement within MLS as well as in and out of the league entirely has always been this way? It seems as though each team every year has several changes to their rosters including core players. How can this be good for building not only the strength of the league but rivalries and true fans? What effect will the recent moves abroad by Dorman, Ngwenya, Mathis, Goodson, Jaqua(possibly), Noonan, ect. have on the league? Is this type of movement common or is this becoming prevalent recently? I am worried that too much mid-level talent is leaving without the same amount coming in.
Was that a sarcastic response or a legit question? Yes. What does that have to do with it. I think EPL, Serie A, La Liga, etc can handle losing great players because......all other great/good younger players are there to fill vacant spots. I love MLS but i'm pretty sure that it is not as stable or as well supported and followed as the previously mentioned leagues. Am i wrong?
There's a terrific thread in MLS N&A which tracks all offseason movement in and out of MLS. You can see where it is at right now and judge whether the quality in effectively replaces the quality out.
This year and last year are worse because of the expansion draft to stock SJ's team. In a non-expansion year there is a little less horse-trading.
I am well aware thanks. I already know what I think. I asked the questioins because i wanted to know what everyone else thinks. Isn't that what a forum is all about?
I'm getting a little worried about this too, it seems players like Noonan from New England just aren't being replaced, and the team's are hoping a young player steps it up to fill their place
I think we have youngsters that are more than capable of replacing some of these players however with the increasing amount of interest from across the pond the youth players are bound to leave as well. So at some point we're going to have less and less American quality players playing. The cap needs to be raised so we can compete with mid-level European clubs for our players.
Indeed. But as you hazarded no opinion of your own and appeared to have no knowledge of the subject, I politely pointed you someplace where you could learn a bit, form your own opinion, and perhaps share it with everyone else - which is also what a forum is all about.
It is a legitimate question and unfortunatly I have only been following the MLS since the inclusion of TFC, so I cannot comment on comparisons to the past. One thing I do notice from seasoned MLS fans is that they feel the prosperity and talent of the league has increased drastically over the past few years. That is not to say we are comparable to the top leagues in Europe, but we should be getting some recognition from foreign player in other leagues as being a location to make some money and play attractive football. We will have to wait and see if there recent departures of solid footballer from this league will have a negative impact or if we already have the talent to replace.
I think the influx and success of a few players such as Juan Pablo Anghel, Cuahtemoc Blanco, and Juan Toja has fueled a wave of MLS teams scouring the globe for talent. As much as it pains me to say this, I think the so-called Beckham bounce has made this possible, and allowed MLS teams to attract many of these players. It's sortof made the league respectable in the eyes of a lot of foreign players. Long term you are right that the league needs more stability in order to grow a stronger fan base.