5 reasons we’ll be watching MLS in the future

#4 For Good, Prime Talent

Signing Sebastian Giovinco was a signal of intent from MLS.

MLS officials are keen to make the league a viable destination for good quality players in their mid-to-late twenties. While, to date, many of those who have been attracted have been Mexicans or Americans seeking a return to their home continent after solid spells in Europe, Toronto’s signing of Sebastian Giovinco from Juventus in 2015 suggested more is possible.

Giovinco was just a week or so shy of his 28th birthday, an Italian international and although he was struggling for game time at Juventus, had offers on the table from other European clubs. He was a marquee signing for both Toronto and MLS.

The plan is now to attract other players of his caliber. The United States offers a certain cultural and lifestyle pull, particularly in its bigger cities such as Los Angeles or New York, and if wages can more or less match what is on offer at middling European teams, it isn’t out of the question that other players could be tempted to make the move.

If MLS and its clubs can pull off one or two such signings each year between now and 2022, it would make their product far more watchable for a global audience.