Matt Polster either made the best or the worst decision of his career in January. Not long ago he was seen as a future star of MLS but the midfielder’s career had stagnated at the Chicago Fire, so his departure from the club last month came as no surprise. His destination was more of a point of discussion, though. Depending on who you listen to, Rangers is either the perfect place, or the worst place, for Polster to make the next step.

It’s not that American fans hold any great opinion of Rangers. Instead, many see Scotland as a football backwater, a declining league where young talents are kicked into submission (see Gedion Zelalem a few years ago). Andrew Gutman and Timothy Weah’s January moves to Celtic, like Polster’s to Rangers, were seen as backwards steps by many fans in the US.

Miguel Almirón: Newcastle just secured possibly MLS's finest ever export Read more

Of course, all this chatter – a debate kicked off on Twitter last month about whether Scottish teams would “dominate” MLS – has its basis in little more than stereotype, but it is true that a peculiar relationship is starting to form between MLS, and US football in general, and the Scottish Premiership. It’s been evident in the deals done of late.

As already mentioned, Polster signed with Rangers in January, while Gutman and Weah (via Paris St-Germain rather than MLS) joined Celtic. There was also speculation that Brendan Rodgers would move for Alberth Elis of the Houston Dynamo and US international Wil Trapp.

In the opposition direction, New York City FC tabled an offer for Aberdeen winger Gary Mackay-Steven, while it’s believed Minnesota United and Sporting KC registered an interest in Scott Brown before the former Scotland captain decided to extend his contract at Celtic. Both teams have a track record of scouring the Scottish game for talent, with Sam Nicholson making the move from Hearts to Minnesota two years ago and Sporting KC signing Johnny Russell. The Colorado Rapids also signed Danny Wilson from Rangers last year.

Scots tend to react to these moves in the same way Americans do when their players head to Scotland – with derision. MLS has just come off the back of a landmark transfer window in which a number of big-money moves were made across the Atlantic, legitimising the league as a stepping stone in the eyes of many Europeans. Yet for many Scottish fans, out of sight largely means out of mind. A move to MLS is seen as a move to obscurity.

The growing relationship between American and Scottish football is down to more than just coincidence, though. In an inflated marketplace, the two leagues see mutual opportunity. Scottish clubs can no longer compete with their English counterparts for signings – Bournemouth’s record signing cost them £25m while Celtic have only ever paid as much as £9m for a player – and so they must be more imaginative in their scouting. This is where MLS has been identified as a relatively untapped talent pool.

Until last summer, the record fee for an MLS export stood at just $10m. The complexion has changed following Canadian teenager Alphonso Davies’ switch to Bayern Munich and Miguel Almiron’s blockbuster move to Newcastle United, but nonetheless, MLS generally represents value for money. Tyler Adams, for instance, reportedly cost RB Leipzig just $3m.

The same could be said of the Scottish game. Look at how Stuart Armstrong, a Scotland international and a proven performer at Champions League level, moved to Southampton from Celtic for just £7m. MLS and Scottish Premiership players are consistently undervalued.

Comparing leagues, especially two as structurally different as MLS and the Scottish Premiership, is never wise, but sometimes the urge to play top trumps can get the better of us all. The lack of a salary cap makes it easier for teams like Celtic and Rangers to spend their way to success. Celtic’s annual payroll of £52m ($67m), for instance, dwarfs Toronto FC’s of just over $26m – the highest payroll in MLS. And while MLS has much bigger names – Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Bastian Schweinsteiger – it’s also fair to say the level of quality in Scotland is more consistent.

MLS and the Scottish Premiership have followed very different trajectories over the past two decades, but the two leagues now find themselves in a similar position – they both have their nose pressed against the window of the European elite. There is no clear answer to the surprisingly heated social media discourse over which league is better, but does it really matter? Recent activity suggests they both hold a high opinion of each other.