This series will look to the future of the United States Men’s National Team. It will examine the MLS and Americans abroad to attempt to determine a path for the future. While preconceived notions may exist, we will objectively look at the development of the MLS to determine whether enough is being done to develop the players of tomorrow.



Following his great performance in Brazil, Jermaine Jones is looking to capitalize on his momentum by securing a move to a MLS franchise. Jones would likely become the star player and face of the team on almost any roster that he would move to. He would also become one of the top paid players on the club that decides to sign him. But Jermaine Jones turns 33 in November. Jones, while still a top USMNT player and in phenomenal shape, is reaching the downside of his career.



To clarify, Jones would be a great signing for whatever MLS team decides to pay him. It would be great for the MLS in general as well as it would allow the league to jump on the momentum built during the World Cup. Momentum that Jones helped to create with his stellar play.

Signing Jones would also continue the all too familiar trend that the MLS has fallen into. The signings of David Villa by New York City FC and Kaka by Orlando City SC are in the same vein. The MLS is becoming a retirement home for European players. It is shaping itself to be the Senior PGA Tour of the soccer world. And while this does introduce budding soccer fans to the brilliance of players like Thierry Henry, it could become a hindrance to the future growth of the USMNT.

The MLS has shown that it is a great platform for USMNT players to get their professional start and create opportunities to excel on the international level. Fifteen of the twenty three man World Cup roster were players who started their professional career in the MLS. While this is a fantastic showing for the league, the USMNT has reached a critical point in its history.

Ten of the fifteen MLS players did not have their first professional start until they were twenty years old or older. And for the seven players who did not start in the MLS, all of them started a professional game before they turned twenty. For the German national team, the World Cup winners, only three players did not make their first professional start before the age of twenty. And there are two factors to this development. The first is that those ten players all went to college before turning professional, as did the one non-MLS based player. The second is more pertinent to this article: MLS teams favor journeymen players in their starting lineups over giving long term chances to teenage players.

This attitude of MLS teams often leads to delayed development compared to their European counterparts. It seems that on average, the MLS has an older average squad and an older starting lineup than most various leagues. To look at the MLS in comparison to the Dutch Eredivisie, the German 1.Bundesliga, the English Premier League, and the French Ligue 1 would show that not only are the average age of squads and starting lineups older but also transfer signings. And this is a poor direction for the MLS to be heading in.

This series will examine the composition of MLS squads in comparison to four European Leagues. I then hope to offer suggestions that would grow not only the league but also the USMNT squad pool. While the MLS is undoubtedly growing better by the year, a proactive approach is needed for the USMNT to grow with increased demands of performance.

What I expect to find is that the MLS has an older average squad age and field an older starting eleven than most of these four European Leagues. And I will attempt to show that MLS players and USMNT players do not have professional playing time until an older age.

Why did I choose these leagues for comparison?

Premier League–The Premier League was chosen solely because of its popularity. While the MLS does not fairly compare to the Premier League, it’s popularity will help to… 1.Bundesliga–The German First Division is one of the most exciting leagues around. Juergen Klinsmann played a major role in reshaping German youth development and emphasizing youth talent. Also the large German contingent on the USMNT could lead to a growing popularity of the league in the United States. I expect the Bundesliga to have young overall squads, but a bit older starting eleven. Ligue 1– The French Ligue is a division the MLS could compare to very favorably in a few years. It has it’s richer clubs in PSG and Monaco, but still stays very competitive throughout. Since it is not as big as the Premier League or the Bundesliga, I expect Ligue 1 to have to rely on younger players to fill out their squads. Eredivisie–What I envision for the MLS. A league that grows young talent. A league that makes profit from selling young talent so that it can then reinvest in more young talent. The Eredivisie should be the youngest of the Leagues we look at, as the Netherlands has a well earned reputation for developing young players.

By the end of this series, I hope to be able to make a conclusion about the state of the MLS. I have an idea of what I expect to see, but we will now let the data make the argument.

Click here for part 2.