It has been a long-running joke for decades now that the MLS is a retirement league for the best players in the Premier League. But what is it that makes the biggest names in Europe want to transfer to the States before they hang their boots? Today we’re going to be taking a look at some of the main reasons that some players would relish the idea of moving to the States. Starting with what I would consider the biggest factor. A chance to win a championship.

While the popularity, as well as the quality of football, has been growing rapidly over the last 5 to 10 years in the States, there is no denying that outside of a handful of players in the United States Men’s National Team, the quality of football on display in the MLS is sub par, many believe that it is in line with the English Championship and those with super outlandish views will go as far as saying that it’s side by side with League 1! But when you’re a player with the quality of someone like David Beckham, it’s probably natural for you to think that going to a big team like LA Galaxy will be a walk in the park for you. Using Beckham as an example, he went to the MLS in 2007 and won two MLS Cups with LA Galaxy.

The next reason some people would consider moving to the states and, to some people, this might actually be the biggest reason, is a pay day. Now, if you don’t end up at a team in the MLS, perhaps you end up in one of the lower tiers of US Football that we’ll touch on later, you likely won’t be getting the big bucks. But for players like Beckham, Rooney, Gerrard, Henry, Ibrahimovic. The money they were earning was crazy; for most of these players, it was far more than they had ever earned for a season in their respective leagues. Wayne Rooney was reportedly on $30 million per year during his time with DC United in the MLS.

Then you have the lifestyle. For the biggest players in Europe, it’s almost impossible for them to go anywhere without being recognised. While it’s not going to be like living in an alternate reality when they move to the States. The fact that “soccer” is way down the pecking order in terms of popularity among sports will mean they’re a lot less likely to be recognised so it can be way more relaxing. Not only that but the weather in the States is, usually, better across the board. If blending in isn’t what they want, they can live like superstars with great shopping opportunities, especially in cities like Los Angeles or Miami.

Finally there’s the culture. When you’ve lived in one country your entire life, or with people like Steven Gerrard who lived in the same city his entire life. The opportunity to travel abroad and experience new cultures can be incredibly exciting. The United States is a melting pot of cultures, which can be a great experience for players looking for something new. They can also learn about American sports culture, which is very different from the culture in the UK. Some people, like Beckham, ended up getting involved in that culture and is the current president and co-owner of MLS Franchise, Inter Miami CF.

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Now as we mentioned there are other tiers to the US hierarchy of football or soccer. Of course the one everybody knows about is the MLS or Major League Soccer featuring 29 teams. This is considered D1 Soccer. But below that are 2 other Divisions. Division 2 features one league, the USL Championship which features 24 teams. Division 3 however features 3 leagues, USL League 1 which features 12 teams. The National Independent Soccer Association which features 9 teams and the MLS Next Pro which features 27 teams. Though it’s worth considering that MLS Next Pro is the Reserve League for the MLS featuring teams like Toronto FC II and Inter Miami II.

But, the tier directly below the MLS is the other one that has many eyes on it. With a huge landmass and as many states as the US has, it’s understandable that not every state will have a D1 soccer team and that’s where the USL Championship comes in. The USL Championship Features Teams from Kentucky, like Louisville City FC. The Miami based Miami FC and other well known cities like San Antonio FC and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.

Unlike most football pyramids in the world, teams that aren’t in the MLS can’t actually be promoted to the MLS through usual means. So for Louisville City FC, they won’t actually be able to earn their way into the big time. For them to make their way there, they have to apply for it. If they don’t have the financial means to invest and the ability to be committed to the MLS, or perhaps their stadium isn’t big enough, they’ll likely never be able to make it up to the MLS. However, for a lot of fans in the states. The money involved in the MLS and the fact it’s a massively commercial product can be seen as a turn off. So clubs like Louisville City FC still get a following because of this.

Louisville City FC find themselves sitting 4th in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, with a record that puts them joint 6th in the league overall with their next match being a big one against FC Tulsa. With 16 spots available for the USL Championship Playoffs, Louisville will be looking to claim as many points as possible between now and October 14th. So how do the experts see this one going?

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When it comes to sports betting in Kentucky, fans in the state are eagerly waiting for it to become legal to bet on its favorite teams, but, in the meantime, let’s check all of the best odds, when Louisville travels to Oklahoma, they travel as slight underdogs. You can get Louisville City FC at 13/8 which would see a return of $13.15 from a stake of $5. For FC Tulsa you can get a return of $12 from $5 with their odds of 7/5 and if you think the two teams won’t be separated by the time the final whistle blows, you can get a draw at 11/5, which would see a return of $16 from the same $5 stake.

So, with all that being said. Of all the players to have played in both the MLS and the Premier League, who do you think had the biggest impact? It’s impossible to have this discussion without talking about David Beckham, as we mentioned earlier during his time in the states he fell in love with the US lifestyle and the sporting culture, so much so that along with Jorge and Jose Mas, he would help found Inter Miami CF in the MLS! Other players like Thierry Henry went to the states and continued their fine form and scored plenty of goals for their club.

Thierry Henry scored 52 goals in 135 games in all competitions for the New York Red Bulls but won no MLS Cups in that time. Though he never played in the Premier League, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the European greats. He scored 53 goals in 58 appearances in all competitions, which is quite frankly an incredible record but like Henry, he won no MLS Cups. Wayne Rooney was hugely influential for D.C United, he scored 25 and 52 in a, quite frankly, underperforming team. But he inspired everybody around him and left such a big mark on the club that he has returned as the manager. Then there are other players like Robbie Keane who scored 104 in 165 for LA Galaxy winning 3 MLS Cups. The question remains, who did it best?

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