Guppy and Howey got a few caps sure but that was during a woeful era for the England national team when we couldnt even qualify for international finals unlike the US lol.

Also most players on your list apart from Wilson went to the MLS way past their prime (late 30s)

I agree though there is an arrogance that European players think they can walk into the MLS at the end of their careers, especially when the main strength of the league is athletic ability rather than technique.

Wilson was quite young granted, but if you were used to the climate of somewhere like Middlesbrough you might find the Dallas heat a bit of a shocker as well lol.

I’m not surprised Huckerby did quite well, as he always had bags of ability and used to be one of the fastest players in the EPL with great acceleration. Consistency was always his problem and a tendency to bottle it every time he got a shot with a big club. He always played his best football for teams where expectations were low. But I promise you if Shaka Hislop had gone to the MLS in his prime he would have been by far the best keeper to ever play in the league.

I’d like to see more links between MLS and top european clubs so that young prospects from both could cut their teeth abroad. There is undoubtedly a great deal of untapped potential in talent as well as support in the US for football.

The national team seem to get better every year and the long american tradition of excellence in competitive sports makes me think its only a matter of time before you get it right at the league level.

I don’t think you need David Beckham for that lol.

Finally I’d like to write a list of the American players who I enjoyed watching in the England.

Brian McBride — A classic ‘british style’ striker, never backed down from a physical challenge but also had his share of skills to get the job done with head or feet, I wish he’d got to the UK a few years earlier cos I think he could have played at a top club, but he was a fantastic servant for Fulham.

Claudio Reina– wonderful playmaker who could thread the ball through the eye of a needle and at one point was up there with the best passers in the league, another player who had the talent and the opportunity for a big move but showed great loyalty to Manchester City.

Jay DeMerit– Not a skilful player but a solid defender with a never say die attitude, fighting for the ball in a way that always goes down well with UK fans, gave 100% for 90 minutes guaranteed. I also love his story, came over to England with nothing but a dream, plucked from non-league football by Watford and a few years later he was in the EPL, Hollywood stuff lol

Tim Howard– failed to make the grade at Man United, who have a poor record in the transfer market when it come to keepers since the Schmecihel era. Due to this I think he was never given the time to grow into the role. But now at Everton he’s still perhaps one of the top 5 keepers in the Premiership

Brad Friedel– another keeper, who although never at a top four club, was in my view the best keeper in the country during the early 2000s. A great shot stopper, total command over the back line and his area, saved loads of penalties. Won so many points for Blackburn by not conceding. First name on the team sheet.

Eddie Lewis– Played for a spell at my team Leeds United and was one of our best players in an otherwise terrible team lol. He had a great left foot and good technique for that level to make and score goals for us with his quality crosses and free kicks. We still got relegated though!

1. We did win Champions Cups in 1998 and 2000. However, both of those years saw the Champions Cup played in late summer months, and I believe in one basic location. Nowadays, the Champions League takes place from August until April. HOWEVER, the MLS teams involved often field “B” teams because the midweek games come at the time the MLS playoff race is heating up, and MLS clubs would rather qualify for the playoffs and win MLS Cup than try and win a midweek game against Joe Public.

Priorities. When you have a smaller salary cap, and thus limited roster space, you can’t field your best starting eleven every Saturday and Wednesday for six weeks in a row. A Man United in the UEFA CL can alter a lineup and toss in three to five fresh faces who are great quality. IN MLS, we are not there yet due to roster size/salary cap. To MLS coaches, getting in the playoffs and winning the MLS Cup is most important.

In 1998, four older Europeans came into MLS and ruled the roost, leading the Fire to the Cup. No expansion team could do that today. Beckham can’t rule the roost here today like Nowak, Kubik, et al did then. The league is far superior now.

DC United of 1998 would make the playoffs today, but probably get knocked out in the first round, and I’ve been a DC fan since November 1995.

Everyone has an opinion, but I see no basis for yours. You are comparing Apples (the CONCACAF Champions Cup 1998) to Oranges (CONCACAF Champions League today).

“Finally, MLS has always been worse than the FMF. There’s simply not the same pool of money in the US to sustain the high salaries in Mexico”

steve, dont you think that it is the salary cap the responsable issue here?

PD:can somebody answer me this please? because I dont see nobody asking this kind of questions.

Does it make ANY sense for MLS been sancion a 1st division league, if there is no promotion and relegation to a lower one.

Everything about MLS feel so unsoccerlike.

I personnaly think the MSL has improved substantially but you undermine your own league and professionalism with articles like this. Grow up. The press on a whole are arrogant idiots who dont reflect the oppinions of most.

Saying this the MLS is of a poorer standard than the english spanish or italian leagues but that is to be expected as you haven’t had the time to develop this. The reason is the experience of your league as a whoel and not some daft excuse about crossing time zones/altitude/weather. While this may take an effect, these are things you have to accept and deal with. like players in the spanish leagues deal with the dry heat, italians the humidity, and the british the 4 seasons a day battering. We never make that excuse, we prepare and deal with it and at the end of the day its the football on the pitch and not the pre and post match excuses that matter.

MLS expansion has not hurt the quality and should continue because it improves the number of our players playing. The more people playing better soccer, the better for both the US and Canada.

The early DC United teams dominated MLS then also. Many coaches/GMs then were idiots who were greatly outmatched by Bruce Arena (and probably more imporantly Bob Bradley). Bruce isn’t as lucky nowadays.

BTW, the prize money for Superliga is NOT $1 million. That’s why the MLSPA protested openly and the tournament has been nicknamed the super sham by many. Go back and read Steve Goff’s Washington Post articles from this year’s tournament and you’ll see how questionable the event is. Moreover, I would argue Mexican teams don’t bring their best for Superliga, and after all it is in the FMF pre-season.

I have no doubt the DC United teams from 1997 thru 1999 would absolutely dominate MLS today the way Man U dominates the vastly over rated an uncompetitive EPL year in and year out.