Landon Donavan (LA Galaxy), DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers FC), Bobby Convey (Reading), Tim Howard (Everton), Marcus Hahnemann (Reading), Brad Friedel (Blackburn) and Clint Mathis (Ergotelis) are just a few examples of players that started their careers amongst the ranks of Major League Soccer before moving on to successful clubs. For many of these superstars, the MLS was their chance to showcase the underestimated might and talent of American soccer.
In particular English Premiership club side Fulham FC has one of the main clubs that have benefited from the services from the growing American talent. In fact, soccer analysts in England often joke about how Fulham had become "Team America" due to the large amount of Americans assembled within the squad.
American internationals Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra, Kasey Keller, Clint Dempsey and Eddie Johnson were all MLS stars who now find themselves donning the white, red and black club colors of Fulham. Although they haven't taken the English Premier League by storm, all five players are well respected by football critics in Europe.
"We always have a lot to prove because our country doesn't have such a long tradition of playing soccer," Dempsey said.
"When people look at us, they have that in the back of their minds. Slowly and surely that is starting to change, and when you go somewhere you are representing your country. We are doing a good job with that at Fulham."
Prior to being sacked, former Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez lauded his American bunch by claiming that the US contingent of players demonstrated a high level of physical conditioning, work ethic, professionalism and team spirit.
Needless to say, American soccer has managed to gain some respect from the so-called footy experts in Europe. The newly implemented Designated Player Rule has given teams in the MLS the opportunity to bring quality international star players into the league. The rise in talent has attracted the attention of even the most glamorous footballers in the world today as evidenced by the presence of LA Galaxy's David Beckham and New York Red Bulls' Juan Pablo Angel and Claudio Reyna.
Furthermore, the MLS took further steps into expanding their market by the creation of the SuperLiga, a North American competition that operates similarly to the Champions League in Europe. Consisting of four Mexican teams and four American teams, the SuperLiga competition determined the best in the best in the North American region. Led by David Beckham, the Los Angeles Galaxy fell short to Mexican side Pachuca
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