15 Foreign MLS Stars Steven Gerrard Will Hope to Emulate Success Of
Steven Gerrard, captain of Liverpool and former captain of England, has announced that he will leave his hometown club at the end of the season to pursue a career in MLS.
Still with plenty to offer at the playing level, Gerrard has not confirmed which team he'll join, but he will be hoping to achieve great success with whichever club secures his signature. He'll be following in the footsteps of plenty of players who have gone to the United States and hoping to emulate those which enjoyed appreciation for their performances and winning trophies during their time Stateside.
Here are 15 players who moved to MLS from outside and went on to perform successfully, as Gerrard will hope to do.
For the purposes of this slideshow, we're going to be looking at imports who came from outside of the CONCACAF region, so the likes of Dwayne De Rosario (Canada), Donovan Ricketts (Jamaica) or Rafael Marquez (Mexico) will not feature.
Marco Di Vaio, Montreal Impact
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Italian forward Marco Di Vaio spent most of his career in his home nation, but he also played for Monaco in France before heading to MLS in 2012. He spent two-and-a-half seasons with Montreal Impact, impressing in his first full campaign.
His 20 goals in 2013 saw him go close to the Golden Boot award (won by Camilo Sanvezzo with 22), while he netted 40 in total during his spell in the States before retiring.
Earlier in his career, Di Vaio played for the likes of Juventus, Parma and Lazio.
Jimmy Nielsen, Sporting Kansas City
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Danish goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen signed for two English clubs without actually appearing for them and spent all his playing days in his homeland until he arrived in MLS in 2010.
He then spent three years with Sporting Kansas City, winning the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award in 2012 and being named in the All-Star team in 2010 and 2012—and, most importantly of all, being Sporting's captain as he led them to the MLS Cup in 2013.
Nielsen retired following this success.
Tim Cahill, NY Red Bulls
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Australian attacking midfielder Tim Cahill moved from the Premier League in England to MLS in 2012 and remains with New York Red Bulls after three seasons.
Cahill is renowned for getting himself into scoring situations and netting vital goals for his team, and though he didn't do so with as much regularity in the season just finished, he has still managed almost 20 in his three campaigns.
Earlier in his career, Cahill played for Everton and Millwall and won over 70 caps for his national team.
Obafemi Martins, Seattle Sounders
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Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins spent years around the European football scene before making the move to MLS in 2013, where he has since spent two years with Seattle Sounders, playing a starring role in the season just finished.
Martins scored 19 goals in the 2014 season, helping his side win the Supporters' Shield and being named in the MLS Best XI for the season.
Previously in his career he played at the likes of Inter Milan, Newcastle United and Rubin Kazan.
Robert Warzycha, Columbus Crew
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All the way back to the 90s for this one, with Robert Warzycha playing for Columbus Crew for six years and later being both the assistant manager and for four seasons, the manager.
The Polish midfielder has the distinction of winning the MLS Supporters' Shield in all three capacities. He was a major player for his first few seasons with the Crew and is held in high regard by the club for his longstanding service.
Prior to moving to MLS, Warzycha played for Everton and Gornik Zabrze.
Mo Johnston, Kansas City Wizards
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Scottish forward Mo Johnston enjoyed great success in his home country and abroad, before joining KC Wizards in 1996.
He spent five years at the club, continuing his goalscoring, albeit at a lower rate than earlier in his career when he was in his prime. Even so, he won the MLS Cup in 2000, a year before retiring. Later he managed in MLS with New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC.
Johnston played for both Rangers and Celtic as well as Everton and Nantes in his career.
Fredy Montero, Seattle Sounders
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Colombian forward Fredy Montero is one of the few who didn't come to MLS after already making a big name for himself and finishing up his career there; instead, Montero excelled with Seattle Sounders and has since moved to the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
Montero won the MLS Newcomer of the Year in 2009, was a 2009 and 2010 All-Star member and scored an impressive 60 goals in total in his four seasons with the club.
Now still only 27, Montero is playing with Sporting CP.
Thierry Henry, NY Red Bulls
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One of the greats of the game who has only opted to retire recently, Thierry Henry is a World Cup winner and one of the most respected voices in the game who shone with New York Red Bulls.
Henry scored more than 50 times for the Red Bulls over four-and-a-half seasons with the club, winning the Supporters' Shield in 2013. Individually, he won the MLS Best Player award in 2013 and was voted into the All-Star side in all four full seasons.
The French striker, record scorer for his nation at international level, also played for Juventus, Monaco, Arsenal and Barcelona.
Carl Robinson, Toronto FC
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Welsh midfielder Carl Robinson made a success of his move to MLS football after departing the English game despite interest from sides closer to home, such was still his level of play.
He joined Toronto FC in 2007 and spent three years at the club, also representing NY Red Bulls later on. The versatile player won the Player of the Year at his club in his first two seasons in MLS and also later became assistant manager at Vancouver Whitecaps, where he has since taken on the top-boss job and remains in place to date.
Previously he played for the likes of Wolves and Norwich City in England.
Carlos Valderrama, Tampa Bay Mutiny
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One of the most recognisable figures in world football, Carlos Valderrama moved to MLS in 1996 and spent the next half-dozen years at various clubs in the league, enjoying most success with Tampa Bay Mutiny.
With the Florida club, he won the Supporters' Shield in 1996, was voted into the All-Star team in the same year and won the MLS MVP award. Shortly after Valderrama left Mutiny for the second time in 2001, the club folded. He is a member of the All-Time MLS Best XI and managed well over 100 assists in his time in MLS football.
Outside of the States, Valderrama played for Millonarios and Deportivo Cali in his home nation of Colombia and for Montpellier and Real Valladolid in Europe.
Marco Etcheverry, DC United
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One of the best Bolivian footballers ever, Marco Etcheverry, played for DC United for the best part of a decade, playing around 200 games for the club.
So revered is Etcheverry at DC that only he and American John Harkes are on the "Tradition of Excellence" sign at the club. He won the MLS Cup with his side in '96, '97 and '99, as well as the CONCACAF Champions League in '98.
Etcheverry played for Bolivar, Colo Colo and America de Cali in South America.
Juan Pablo Angel, NY Red Bulls
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Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel played for three different MLS clubs, enjoying the longest stay and the most success with New York Red Bulls, whom he played for from 2007 to 2010.
Angel was still a regular scorer when he joined them, netting double figures in all four campaigns and 62 in total before moving on to feature for LA Galaxy and Chivas USA. The striker was named in the MLS Best XI for 2007 and won the Western Conference with his side a year later, though they fell short in the challenge for the MLS Cup itself.
Elsewhere, Angel played for Aston Villa and River Plate, starting and finishing his career with Atletico Nacional.
Robbie Keane, LA Galaxy
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Robbie Keane is the current captain and striking hero of LA Galaxy, leading the team to the 2014 MLS Cup just four weeks ago.
The Irishman has been no stranger to success since joining MLS, with his four seasons with the Galaxy so far yielding three Cup wins. He also won the MVP for the league in 2014 and scored in two of those final wins, including the winner this time around.
Keane previously played for Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Celtic, Wolves, Leeds United, Aston Villa, West Ham United and Coventry City in the UK, as well as a short stint at Inter Milan.
Ryan Nelsen, DC United
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Former New Zealand centre-back Ryan Nelsen was most recently in MLS as manager of Toronto FC, but way back in 2001-2004, he was a key performer for DC United.
Nelsen became captain of the club, replacing the earlier-mentioned Marco Etcheverry, and lifted the MLS Cup in 2004. Both that year and the one previously he was nominated to the MLS Best XI.
The burly defender went on to play for Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham in the Premier League afterward, before a time at QPR led to his retirement and taking up the manager's post at Toronto.
David Beckham, LA Galaxy
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We finish up with what was, and perhaps for many still is, the biggest name to head to MLS from European football: David Beckham.
The midfielder joined LA Galaxy in 2007 and spent five years with the club and, whether positively or negatively, Beckham is credited with bringing an awful lot more press and attention to MLS football during his time in the game there. He won the MLS Cup in 2011 and 2012, won two Best MLS Player awards and now fronts a group looking to place a Miami-based club in MLS.
Beckham also played for Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.
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