Storyline: Soccer is on the rise in the States. Development of the pro game is a major reason.
If you were to go back 10 years ago to tell somebody that soccer would be huge in the U.S., they’d probably laugh. But, today, it’s one of the most popular sports in America.
Courtesy: telegraph.co.uk
We can thank guys like Cristiano Ronaldo, Leonel Messi, Neymar, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for this. But they don’t get all the credit. The biggest boom for soccer in America was the arrival of David Beckham to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007. At that time the MLS had 10 teams. Now, in 2015, the league has 20 teams, with plans to expand to Atlanta, Miami, Minneapolis, and to put a second team in Los Angeles.
Since 2010 the MLS has welcomed the Vancouver Whitecaps, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Montreal Impact, NYCFC, and Orlando City FC. The arrival of players like Kaka, David Villa, Andrea Pirlo, Sebastian Giovinco, and Dider Drogba, along with other foreign superstars, have made this sport exciting for American fans.
Still, though, some people think the MLS isn’t very competitive. But as LA Galaxy Midfielder, Steven Gerrard, told his European friends: “If you plan on coming to the MLS as a retirement league, you’re in for a rude awakening.” Gerrard, a former superstar for Liverpool FC, scored 120 goals in 504 games with the English club. When a player like Gerrard says that European superstars better watch out for the MLS, then those players had better listen.
Pro soccer in the states isn’t a joke. I see this league becoming one of the top leagues in the world.
Just wait and see.
