Is the MLS a feeder league? By my estimation, it can be, and it’s beginning to look like that right now. In the past we saw a few of our best players leaving for Europe, but now it’s becoming a trend.

Recently, I read an article about Seattle Sounder’s forward, Freddy Montero, and how Fulham has interest in signing the young lad.

After reading this article, I began to reflect on the other signings from the MLS to Europe like Yura Movsisyan, Jozy Altidore, Eddie Johnson, Freddy Adu, Sal Zizzo, Clint Dempsey, Carlos Bocanegra, and Maurice Edu, to name a few.

But Montero’s story is a bit more interesting; here is a player who was signed on loan from Columbia’s Deportivo Cali to the Seattle Sounders.

It was a great signing for them. In fact, his debut was something of a spectacle on national TV as he scored twice and introduced himself to Seattle and the rest of the league.

Ever since, he has been a solid performer for the Sounders and often features as the No. 1 striker for the Seattle club.

But now it looks possible that he may move on to Europe. Whether or not that is Fulham in the EPL or some other country is not for discussion. Whether he will succeed is also not the discussion point just now.

What I want to examine is how he has made a name for himself here in our league, the league of America, and how he has now been noticed by a fairly big club in Europe. Granted, Fulham is not Chelsea or Arsenal, but if you play in one of the biggest leagues in the world, you garner a fair amount of attention.

Just ask Sunderland.

So my question is this: Has MLS turned into a fairly productive feeder league to some of the middle-table and top-tier teams in Europe?

Just ask Juan Toja of FC Dallas, who just previously went down this road not too long ago and is also from Columbia.

Juan Toja was sold to Romanian club Steaua Bucharest after playing in the MLS for a couple of years and is distinguishing himself as a marquee midfielder for the American league.

The reason why both Montero and Toja’s stories are unique is not because they are both from Columbia. They are special because both are young and very talented players who might not have had a chance to shine in their home countries.

But why wouldn’t some of these European teams just recruit in South America and find these diamonds in the rough? Most big clubs already do recruit from Latin America and have found talent like David Sauza, Antonio Valencia, and Juan Cordoba.

I suspect they don't even try because some clubs either don’t have the resources to dedicate huge recruiting efforts in that part of the world, or they just figure they don't have the resources to draw talented players away from their home bases.

In most cases, I would entertain a solution for Latin American players and clubs to somehow bridge the gap between their homeland and Europe.

But I really feel like that bridge is the US and its MLS. It is this league that can help transport young talent into Europe and provide a vehicle for player development.

Now, this thinking may also apply to American born players as well, as it can serve much the same purpose for our guys as it does for foreign players.

Just look at the number of players America has already produced who are currently playing in Europe; many of those players played in the MLS.

The downside to this reality is that we will never be able to keep our best players and thus dilute the quality of the league, which makes it harder to attract big marquee names. As young as the MLS is, the league’s teams are already running into that problem.

I say that this is a good thing and feel confident that in the future we will be able to strike a healthy financial balance as a solution.

After all, this is America. I think sooner or later we will be able to spend what is necessary to keep our best home-grown players as well as attract younger, more talented foreign players. Of course this is in the future—really far into the future.

But I feel that if we can make the claim to clubs/players in Latin America, or anywhere else for that matter, that they can use the MLS as a stepping stone to Europe, it would enhance our league’s reputation.  It would strengthen our domestic-based players by playing alongside these talented individuals and give the public a point of interest in the league.