Landon Donovan's loan move to Everton has proven, yet again, that American footballers have what it takes to rub shoulders with the cream of the Premier League. Does this mean that American football is closing the gap between its European counterparts?
Soccer state of mind
The 1994 World Cup marked a turning point in the history of US football. Not only was it a tremendous success – average attendances hit 69,000 and it was the highest-attended sporting event in US history – but the FIFA requirement of having to establish a new football league in return for hosting the tournament meant that football was preparing a second assault on a continent it has continuously tried (and failed) to convert.
On April 6 1996, nearly two years after MLS's official creation, San Jose Clash beat D.C. United 1-0 in front of 31,683 fans. This signalled an exciting new era for America's footballing fraternity who found themselves stuck in decade-long limbo after the NASL ground to a halt in 1984.
However, as the novelty wore off, MLS began to experience teething problems. Attendances gradually declined, the MLS-dominated US men's team failed miserably in the 1998 World Cup and the league was facing financial difficulties. This, inevitably, led to a change at the top, and in 1998 Don Garber replaced Doug Logan as MLS Commissioner.
Garber had an immediate impact. He promoted construction of football-specific stadiums, drafted plans to guarantee the league's financial stability and aligned the rules of the game in tune with the international standard. The former managing director of NFL International saw this as key in moving MLS towards the standard of Europe's top leagues.
What a difference a decade makes
In the ten years since Garber arrived, MLS saw a gradual (yet significant) progression. As Will Kuhns, MLS director of communications, admits, the main reason for the development was the strengthening behind the scenes and an ethos of frugal spending. “It's not how much you spend on players,” he points out to Sport.co.uk, “but rather, improving the level of coaching, scouting, team and league infrastructure.”
“The conservative spending in MLS is a part of what has allowed the league to grow subtly and not end up in financial disarray,” Kuhns says, in a thinly-veiled reference to the excessive, unsustainable days of the NASL. “However, we noticed a jump in the talent-level in 2007. That was the year Beckham joined the Galaxy, but also when clubs were given more flexibility to acquire new players.”
The flexibility Kuhns refers to is the introduction of the Designated Player rule (aka: The Beckham Rule), MLS legislation allowing clubs to sign above the set salary cap. Clubs can now allocate $410,000 towards the cap for a big 'marquee' player, with the owner picking up the remainder.
This enabled MLS clubs to sign players such as Juan Pablo Ángel, Freddie Ljungberg, and former Argentina forward Guillermo Barros Schelotto. “That affected the whole league,” believes Kuhns. “Those were footballers a notch above those that came in previous seasons.”
The future's bright, the future's star-spangled...
Although MLS is now attracting players of a higher calibre, European exports such as Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard, Oguchi Onyewu, Michael Bradley, and now, Landon Donovan, have impressed European coaches and earned the respect of fans for their uncompromising, physical and hard-working performances.
“Donovan's success is a testimony to the way young American players are evolving,” Ryan Knapp, National Premier League Soccer (NPSL) director of PR tells Sport.co.uk. “Our development academies are producing better players, but the good ones will always go to Europe - that's where the best football in the world is played.”
Despite MLS's finest talent always moving across the Atlantic, Kuhns believes a fresh injection of international talent will strengthen MLS and close the divide with European football. “Better scouting has resulted in an influx of players from South America and Africa that will no doubt influence the quality of the league,” he says. “But first we must establish MLS as the clear leader in our region [CONCACAF]. Only then we can start looking at how we stack up against European leagues.”
Nevertheless, the MLS story is one of success. A league that began with ten teams is now expanding to 16, with two further teams arriving in 2011. Some of its methods – salary caps, designated players, and revenue sharing - may appear unorthodox, but perhaps they are pioneering steps that Europe's top leagues must adapt to ensure longevity. Whatever the future holds, however, one thing is clear: world football's outcast has returned.
“The game has grown leaps and bounds since 1994,” Knapp, who is also the owner/GM of FC Buffalo, proudly admits. “Even within the last two-three years there has been a large boom in people playing soccer and that will continue to rise after the 2010 World Cup. Soccer is finally beginning to get the recognition it deserves.”
“Simply put,” he concludes, “it's now culturally acceptable to be an American soccer fan in the United States.”
Better late than never.