The lure of the United States can be big, even for established international sports stars.

Pelé came to the North American Soccer League in the 1970s and was followed by a who’s-who of veterans. Major League Soccer has brought over big names like David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the twilight of their careers. Ichiro Suzuki and Shohei Ohtani joined Major League Baseball in their prime.

Now the fledgling Major League Rugby seems to be heading down a similar path with the arrival of a foreign superstar: Mathieu Bastareaud, a 30-year-old French stalwart, will join Rugby United New York, which is playing its first season. Bastareaud plans to play stateside next year for one season on loan before returning to his club team in France, Toulon.

Major League Rugby entered the crowded North American sports landscape last year, with the New York team joining before the second season. The league, now with eight teams in the U.S. and one in Canada, plays under the rules of rugby union, the 15-a-side variant of the game that is most familiar to American college players and viewers of the quadrennial World Cup.

New York’s first season has been a success on the pitch so far. The team is 8-3 and on course for a playoff berth.