It used to be taboo for Major League Soccer players to speak openly about their ambitions beyond the realm of the league. No matter how low MLS stacked on the global soccer totem pole, to betray a desire to play in England or Spain was somehow considered a faux pas.



This wasn’t even that long ago: For many years, commissioner Don Garber stuck to the tagline of MLS as a “league of choice” — that it wasn’t a stepping stone, that it could compete for and retain some of the world’s biggest stars. It was only last winter that Garber finally conceded that MLS might be better off as a “selling league” within the global marketplace.



MLS had been trending that way for a while, and it has long been evident to savvy observers that coming to grips with reality is not necessarily to accept a lesser station, or to devalue your product. Last year’s Atlanta United was among the most exciting teams in league history, while also...