If there was a Premier League of world economies then none of the United States, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea and Australia would have to worry about relegation. When it comes to the world game however, trade between North America and Asia is minimal. Europe is still the one all look to.

Baseball’s different. Ichiro Suzuki, Hideski Matsui, Park Chan-ho and Chu Shin-soo are just some of the top-class Japanese and South Korean players to make stellar careers and millions of dollars in the United States. Australia (a member of the Asian Football Confederation since 2006) sends plenty of talent to play in the NBA but little when it comes to soccer.

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Japan has exported a handful of players who could all make Tokyo’s world-famous Shibuya crossing without turning heads. South Korea has been represented in MLS by two greats but both Hong Myung-bo, captain of the 2002 World Cup team, and former PSV Eindhoven, Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund defender Lee Young-pyo went there just before retirement.

While there has not been much competition, Lee is probably the most successful Asian import in MLS’s history. Martin Rennie coached Vancouver during the Korean’s time from from 2011 to 2013 and is now in charge of Seoul E-land FC in Korea’s second tier. “Lee did well in MLS and was selected for the all-star game, so he was well respected by other players and teams,” said Rennie. “He enjoyed playing there and was very popular with the fans.”

Rennie adds, however, that for more Asians to follow in Lee’s footsteps, the move has to make sense in terms of lifestyle and finance. “ The J.League and K-League do not have a salary cap, so the best players in those leagues make more than they would in MLS. The Asian players are generally not well known enough to become Designated Players in MLS, but they can make that kind of money playing in Korea and Japan.” The same is certainly true of China.

Australia could perhaps be different, in that its soccer situation is more similar to North America’s. There is a salary cap, no promotion and relegation, and a tough sporting marketplace to be negotiated. “The game in both countries has, in a way, survived off the back of the immigrants from the United Kingdom and Europe, and in the USA’s case, recent arrivals from Central America,” said Lou Sticca, a soccer agent based in Australia. “In Australia, one could say that Asian immigration has also broadened the supporter base. Both countries have seen a mainstreaming of the game’s support due to both national teams doing well at World Cups.”

Sticca has had dealings in the United States, bringing David Beckham and LA Galaxy for exhibition games down under with major success. Not much has followed. “Simply, we do not exist on their radar,” said Sticca. “The contacts that resulted from the LA Galaxy tours have kept in touch, but they don’t see Australia as a market they will recruit from.”

Recent reports that talented Socceroo Tom Rogic was being monitored by MLS clubs would not contradict the point. Rogic is a potential target because he currently plays for former European champions Celtic. An Australian or an Asian in Europe is a different matter, as Sticca points out about Tim Cahill who joined New York Red Bulls from Everton in 2012. “Cahill came more as an ex-EPL player than an Aussie.” Similarly with Lee, as Rennie points out. “He was in a unique position when he joined MLS because he had been very successful internationally in his career.”

Not only that, but Asian talents prefer to go to Europe, as Rennie explains. “I think that MLS is not really on the radar of most Asian players, and MLS teams probably don’t know too much about the K-League and J.League – so it is difficult for them to recruit from a market they don’t know well.”

Some mutual familiarity would beneficial, and Stateside there have been developments. US cable and satellite channel ONE World Sports broadcasts live league games from China, Australia, Japan and Korea, as well as other continental competitions, with increasing success.

“Top quality soccer talent can be found around the globe, and we have seen first-hand evidence of this through our network’s coverage of the Asian football, including the AFC Champions League and the Asian Cup,” Joel Feld, the network’s executive vice-president of programming & production, said. “As the American audience becomes more aware of the abundance of talent emanating from Asia, we will see more and more demand for these players to play in North American-based leagues.”

There could be off-field benefits too, as these countries have more in common in terms of building clubs and markets than the old world of Europe. Lee Young-pyo once said he learned how to play in the Netherlands and how to win in England. He used his time in Vancouver to study sports business, administration and marketing and has become an outspoken advocate of these sectors of the game back in Korea, where he is tipped as a future leader of the game.

“The K-League could certainly learn from MLS when it comes to ticket sales and marketing,” said Rennie. “[They] could all learn from each other,” said Rennie. “The youth systems for producing gifted technical players in Japan and Korea is very advanced and continues to develop. MLS has build a very strong league on and off the field. There are always lessons that can be learned between different countries and leagues.”