David Beckham, Kaka, Thierry Henry, Sebastian Giovinco, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Robbie Keane, David Villa, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard… MLS has, over the years, been home to some of the biggest names in world soccer. Aging, the majority may have been by the time they made the move to North America, but nonetheless, fans have grown accustomed to big names.

Not in the dugout, though. While MLS has, since the arrival of Beckham back in 2007, embarked on a recruitment drive for star players, American and Canadian clubs have had a shallow talent pool from which to pick managers and head coaches from. Things in that regard might finally be changing, however.

It’s just a few weeks since Tata Martino got his hands on the MLS Cup. The former Argentina and Barcelona boss led Atlanta United to glory in just their second-ever season as an MLS team, and in doing so became the league’s first superstar manager.

This isn’t to say that Martino was the first high-caliber coach in MLS history. Bob Bradley, for instance, has proven himself elsewhere in the game after astonishing success with the Chicago Fire. Bruce Arena is another who has carved a legendary reputation for himself, building dynasties at D.C. United and the LA Galaxy. And then there’s the late Sigi Schmid, a true stalwart of the American game.

But these three figures are all Americans who have come through the system. It’s for this reason that Martino’s two-year stint in MLS might prove to be a landmark moment in the division’s history. It could go down as the managerial equivalent of Beckham’s arrival at the LA Galaxy, setting a precedent for other coaches, like de Boer and Schelotto, to follow.

MLS clubs have tried to lure big, largely European names to the league before. Ruud Gullit, for instance, was hired by the LA Galaxy, with Aron Winter also Toronto FC head coach for a spell. However, those without a grounding in MLS and all its idiosyncrasies have historically struggled to adapt. The two referenced appointments now serve as cautionary tales, with Gullit lasting just one season at the Galaxy, and Winter sacked by TFC after only a few months.

North American soccer has moved past the days of Gullit and Winter, though. This season, even after Martino’s exit from Atlanta United, MLS will welcome Frank de Boer and Guillermo Barros Schelotto, two managers who surely could have found work at a high level in Europe. The league is no longer viewed as a soccer backwater, like it once was in managerial circles.

What’s more, European clubs are increasingly looking to MLS, not just for on-the-field talent, but for talent in the dugout as well. The weight of Patrick Vieira’s name and reputation as a legendary midfielder was undoubtedly a factor in him getting the Nice job last summer, but nonetheless, the French side saw enough in New York City’s recent success to suggest the former Arsenal man would be a good hire.

Jesse Marsch doesn’t boast the brand name of Vieira, but he was still poached by RB Leipzig having impressed as New York Red Bulls head coach. There is now managerial traffic, two-way traffic, across the Atlantic, between MLS and the European game, and that could be hugely significant for the development of North American soccer.

Of course, as with any job, the circumstances still need to be right for a manager to thrive. Martino was harnessed at Atlanta by a front office structure that gave the Argentinean, who has since left MLS to take over as Mexico’s national team manager, the best possible chance of success. It wasn’t solely down to him, even if he was the figurehead for what has been witnessed at Mercedes-Benz Stadium over the past two years.

De Boer will now enter that environment as Martino’s successor, but Scheletto may find more of a barren landscape at the LA Galaxy, where front office troubles have become common of late. Even before these two men get started, though, a landmark moment has been observed. The managerial talent pool for MLS clubs is no longer so shallow.

Graham Ruthven is a soccer writer based in the U.K. He has written for the New York Times, Guardian, Eurosport, Bleacher Report, and others.