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Latin American soccer players seem to be prioritizing the MLS to Europe. What has changed in this league? What benefits do players see when taking the big step in their careers?
It’s no news that the MLS has acquired several key players in the last few years. This league has historically proven to be very attractive to them as regards money. However, nowadays, players also consider other factors that convince them to choose the American soccer league over other European opportunities.
When we talk about key players, we refer to players that play or have played for their national team. To do this research, we took the 2021 American Cup as a reference. Venezuela, for example, leads the table with seven players in MLS summoned by their national squad.
But these seven players are just some of the 17 MLS members that represented their countries. This number is no irrelevant fact. The average number of called-up players in MLS was four.
As for teams, Orlando City, Portland Timbers, Atlanta United, and LAFC have many key Latin American players in their roster. Each of them has two. Here is a list of all the MLS players that participated in the 2021 American Cup.
The MLS has become an attractive league for Latin American players. Some players take this opportunity not only as an improvement for their careers in their homeland. They also think that the MLS is even better than many other European offers they receive.
Financially speaking, it is no news that the United States offers an advantage over Latin American leagues. But suppose we put contracts aside for a minute (although they are a relevant factor). In that case, there are other features that both the league and the country offer as a plus.
On the one hand, the MLS has grown significantly during the past years. Past are the days when players took the American soccer league not seriously. Opposed to that period, when only grown-up players migrated to the US in search of quiet retirement, young promises see the MLS as an appropriate step in their career.
Another critical factor when deciding to play in the MLS is life quality. It is essential to understand that whenever a player chooses to sign for a new league, they -and their families- need to migrate to a whole new lifestyle. This concept englobes characteristics as economy, safety, education, among others.
As a plus, and given the recent and constant growth of the MLS, American teams are a great way to show themselves to the world. The European promise for soccer players still exists. However, athletes prefer being part of the starting lineup instead of waiting for the opportunity to prove their abilities on the pitch.
So, in short, the MLS has taken this decision of empowering itself as a major league worldwide. By adding young talents to their teams, this competition has grown exponentially. For this reason, many Latin American skillful players decide to play, train, and compete there.
At Inmersivo, Empointe’s learning platform, we understand how important it is for Latin American athletes to make their way into the most relevant confederations. What are you waiting for to develop linguistically to have an advantage over your competitors?
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