![]() You can count the only confirmed deals involving a player moving up the ranks for a fee on a three-toed sloth’s hand: Mac Kandji from the Atlanta Silverbacks to New York Red Bulls in 2008, Osvaldo Alonso from the Charleston Battery to Seattle in 2009 and Mark-Anthony Kaye from Louisville City to Los Angeles FC in 2018.Įven with free transfers, the potential for upward movement in American soccer is appalling: before the 2018 season, 20 players went from independent USL and NASL clubs to MLS rosters. Over the last decade, MLS has largely been allergic to paying transfer fees for domestic lower-division players. It’s another sign of a discouraging trend. Without clubs being able to change leagues (barring financial struggles or paying expansion fees), many talented players are simply branded as lower league talents. As of January 3, not a single member of their roster has been signed to an MLS deal. Compare that to Phoenix Rising, who shattered the North American record for consecutive wins with 20 last season. If those players deliver or show promise, they can land moves elsewhere if their club is relegated (like Andrew Robertson moving from Hull City to Liverpool in 2017). In an open system, young players on newly promoted teams are given a closer look by a fresh set of potential employers. One implicit result of the closed system is that players are more broadly associated with their current league. Other than those who latch onto the right club at the right time, any hopes of ascending the ranks is in the hands of MLS general managers and technical directors. There is a loophole (albeit an expensive one) for players with a second-division club poised to join MLS via expansion - one that helped Christian Ramirez, Kevin Molino and Sébastien Le Toux make their first-division debuts. It’s an obvious point, but it deserves being stated plainly: in a country without promotion and relegation, the most likely way for a player to move up the pyramid is by changing clubs. ![]() Go figure that the country’s hallmark underdog story entered the league through a defunct acquisition process solely used by American sports leagues. Even Wondolowski made his professional debut at the MLS level, after being selected 41st overall in an MLS Supplemental Draft. Soccer and, therefore, any participants are not professionals. While many will point to NPSL alumni like Chris Wondolowski, the league is not sanctioned by U.S. Finding those stories in the United States can prove to be a trickier proposition.
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