He enjoys being off the regular football calendar. As long as he play regularly then it's a good move.

Why do I have the feeling players of many nations are going to the MLS before a WC just nudge themselves that bit more ahead of others to get picked for 2026? The argument of 'I play in these conditions', doesn't really hold up anyway.

Would rather he climb the ladder in europe

Could work too. Would be great if they could do a loan of some sort.

Harks me back to when Archie Thompson got that post-season loan to PSV before the 2006 World Cup (at least... I think it was post-season A-League?)

The MlS is light years better today than it was even 10 years ago.

They have been appointing a lot of South American coaches, and South American players have been joining in large numbers, in addition many middle European are calling the MLS home.

Beyond this they have as we have been through an increasing understanding of Football... 

I reckon the everything about the MLS, including salaries and overseas player quality will boom after the World Cup. Not a bad time to embed yourself.

MLS the euro players retirement comp ffs.
Sure it will grow the USA way but it will never be like EU let alone even Japan !
Who ever goes there young is about money/salary and playing time no more no less.
The latinos playing for the money as well due to their messed up leagues and MLS will pay them more - any viable player would be searched out by Euro Clubs but USA is closer to their families.
Recent WC
https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/ap-top-news/2024/06/16/mls-teams-adjust-to-a-summer-of-soccer-without-some-of-the-leagues-biggest-names
"Thirty-nine players from Major League Soccer, and one from MLS NEXT Pro, were called up by their national teams in the run-up to the tournament. The players come from 21 of the league's 29 teams."
So 29 Clubs comprising a roster of 30 franchise's I'm led to believe = 870 players.

Middy there isn't alot of Euros playing there to date imo unless I'm reading it wrong but do the count, not many countires in double digits, infact 4 the rest is single digits.
https://fbref.com/en/comps/22/nations/Major-League-Soccer-Nationalities

Maybe just maybe football will get the boost their post WC but yanks like a show and the stars, why do you think they keep bringing in near on retired Euro top billing players.
Its a building block I suppose but still a long time coming till it gets respect from the general EU supporter - till their USA team make finals possibly thats my take

At this stage Yazbeck will be forgotten or left behind BUT he's safe coming from here as long as he develops he's in the pool for a Roo shirt  (and made a good buck) whereas if european doubt they'd bother whilst there will always be plenty new candidates in the pool.

It would appear a lot of European based players have moved over when they could still easily play in a decent level in Europe. Lots of Germans have gone over. Many have the idea to live in America at some point and do so. 7 MLS players at Euro 2024.

LFC

"""""MLS the euro players retirement comp ffs.
Sure it will grow the USA way but it will never be like EU let alone even Japan """""

Sorry mate its changing, you may not like the information, but via a series of things they have been doing, they are changing....

Also no one said it would be like Europe or take over the world.

Its not one or  the other, its a league growing in influence and acutely aware of things said about it, and working to change that perception.

The key point I guess is no P & R, its an open scar and sticking point many can't get passed, 

LFC.... below is a link to a youtube.... it explains a lot about American Football [soccer].. at the end there is a link by the same poster to the MLS if you want more.

Its very well put together, and my guess is it will explain a lot about Footballs structure in the US, its totally different but by F its exploding now.

Enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt4lAYGJB18&ab_channel=Zealand

Like I said it will grow change the more money they keep investing - they can while that tap is going it the merican way and style.
Never mentioned a take over but their insiders will want respect for their league by Europe no doubt about it and fifa will sing the tune for the $$$$$.

Does the MLS have a "World Series" yet?

Not defending MLS here for anyone who doesn’t care for it - just providing a little color.

I get it guys.... no one  doesn't get it...

What you are not getting is within the environment of the US sports market, there is no way on gods green earth was something akin to the MLS ever going to get off the ground in any meaningful way without something like the MLS..... unlike even in Australia, there was no pathway from the parks to broader competition... 

Football is on a rapid growth curve today in the US with many believing it will take over Baseball within a few years....

The rapid growth curve includes rapid growth in understanding Football..... 

They will never challenge Europe or South America, but compared to where Football was in the 90's and prior its totally different, and as many have pointed out they have very skilfully managed revenue streams  .... and money talks especially if you have talented Football people running key positions in your competition and MLS does have these people today.

Mid, we GET it, just dont like it.

Take an example of women's football, why do you think the US national teams has been dominant for the better part of a decade and now, once "traditional" football countries have embraced the women's side of the game that dominance is waning and will probably disappear in a decade or so?

OK, so EVERYONE can see, quite obviously, that the mid 90s push in the American Collegiate Sports scene towards awarding equal amounts of sports scholarships to female students as they did to males created the dominant (and only) at the time female soccer league in the world with any sort of "marketability". 100% of Womens national teams of the USA developed in the College system before the Pro leagues came along, and even to this day, college graduates still make up the "base" of any womens football structure in the US. Affirmative Gender Action drove football dominance in the womens game in the US, NOT football people and marketing savy... 

The mens game, until recently, is exactly the same... Pay to Play is more a problem in US so called academies than it is here...  American sports are ALL GARBAGE... designed to sell products NOT promote athletic endeavour and competition... As an obvious football lover I really dont get how you can admire it so much?

Can see and agree with you point re you don't like it neither do I.

However the constant referral to the MLS as a retirement league, lacking in any skill or knowledge of Football, is well and truly out of date. Beyond this it masks how rapid the growth is and after the WC it will only increase... 

Further, as both their revenue streams and Football knowledge increases so to will the influence it has.

Thanks MSC and for the new slinky acc whoever you may be......

Hehe retirement league triggered - I get a bit too expressive at times Mid forgive me, it is and it isn't.
I quoted nothing about the skill BUT whilst you brought it up when a 36/7 yr old runs through them and scored 6/8 in quick time upon debut surely we can question some of the defensive application......
There is also a handicapped 37yr old ear biter or vampire who has been running through them as well and a 35yr old midfielder lacking legs also.
When they end up having younger fellas being top billing then part of my tune will change ok.

MSC says - we get it - you can admire it all you wish and not as you've just mentioned strangley, I like to participate in the forum topics of interest and don't jump in without some form of understanding what the topic is about......
This is like discussing ICE vs EV vehicles if that makes any sense.
I'm all for new or different approachs and you have your POV I have mine IF the pieces fit or I can picture a happy ending..
I've explained mine a number of times about their model and the merican ways......I find links and info just as you provided I don't come in blind.
Good luck to them, it works and not for them, I've watched and read since the days of Pele, I am not impressed or surprised where it is now in the big scheme of things there and all their pantomine plastic - hum, lets say very US centric sport cultures/fabrics.......(without billionaires lets face it the place is a basket case globally/financially/politically)
Look up how much is invested in Bass fishing - and so many other whacky kinds of form of entertainment/so called sports that people from afar would look at it like MLS success.

Have you sussed out what it costs to play Jnr levels, all these franchise's, going down to lower levels is adding costs but lets all fap what the top is doing.
slinkys post makes sense why even more thankyou, young designated player, U22 initiative.
More costs for they need to recycle and make their system work BUT hang on, they could have long ago implemented and worked with the levels below, invest in them and help working on the eco system being more linked and working together.
Middy says - "there is no way on gods green earth was something akin to the MLS ever going to get off the ground in any meaningful way without something like the MLS"
for all the decades of struggle, on and on incurred costs and people getting burnt and collateral damage incl supporters Go figure just what the top shop caused here, the lower levels had to improvise to survive.
WHAT IF they worked enhanced/leveraged where the invested minnows were/are and persisted with the college systems and below, nup, we got to turn over the buck faster.

Christ - The rapid growth curve includes rapid growth in understanding Football - yer really, what they understand is ROI.

How much did Inter Miami tickets go up after Messi?
Using a so-called dynamic pricing model, it raised ticket prices significantly, initially by hundreds of dollars.
Resale prices spiked even further, especially for away games. Before Messi even stepped on an MLS field, he reportedly drove the average Inter Miami ticket price up 500%....
The Messi roadshow has seen prices dramatically increase wherever Inter goes. According to TickPick, an online ticket seller, tickets for a September clash at LAFC surged to 527% above the MLS average on the resale market
https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/major-league-soccer-2023-inter-miami-ticket-price-increases-fan-reaction-lionel-messi/news-story/3ecbcbcac4618694eef08f5d3a1f3556

MLS the next new fad (again re visited x 3 if I recall right) for billionaires to play in and they understand football ? no they understand BUSINESS..
Their sports have very similar styles of models just different ball size or shape or puk or ball and bat and same or similar owners.
Unfortunately the capital world has gone this way sometime ago now incl the Arabs - thank christ rest of the western world has the old original system -  BUT what their growth (USA) will cause in decades ahead is instability to the game overall ( ala Superleague) for as those well off yanks keep getting richer (yes incl my LFC ogarlords) and the arabs say goodbye to football as we knew it......

Maybe I'm looking too far ahead but one thing is for certain, history tells us whatever Yanks are involved with look where it ends up in the big picture (globally), a friggin mess.

By the way, good luck to young Yazbeck, my daughter knows him he's a good kid.

Bang on mate.... my thoughts exactly.

Mid their dont even WANT to understand football (Americans are far to inwards looking for that) they just want to understand business... Good luck to them. Any players 1-2 over a decade they develop will be sued as a marketing tool to make more profits for  Garber and his ponzi scheme...  Why do you think they are riding on all this "Its called Soccer" bullshit? Noone really cares as much as they do, but it a source of pride for them to do EVERYTHING the US way.... its not football they are interested in, it is USA Football Entertainments pty ltd....  Next thing you know they will be claiming they singlehandeldy won WW2.... lol

When they dont win the 26 world cup, and Messi is too fat and old to draw the "influencers" to  Miami that too will dissipate like last time mate.... 

Their stubborn refusal to implement pro-rel(which they could literally do overnight, as opposed to the still-arduous road towards it here) does continue to hold them back though.

The MLS and American football has certainly come along way and I expect it to improve even more.

The problem is with their model it follows other American sports with their closed model league, no promotion and relegation so the pressure to perform might not be the same as how it be in Europe.

Lionel Messi makes it look very easy from what ive seen from him, the retirement league tag wont go away for them unfortunately.

The key for them is to continue to develop young players and sell them into the top leagues in Europe which they have done in recent times, so any Aussies going to play over there they have to see it as a pit stop into the top leagues of European football and hope to do well in order to attract attention of the higher leagues in Europe.

I don't think the MLS is a strong enough reputation to be a destination league anyway and I think they know it too which is they starting to target young players to play in their league so it will be interesting to see if more Aussies go over to play over there if they can't crack into the higher level from Europe or even from the a-league.

Fellas you have supported where my head is, enlightening but also we more so me could be entirely wrong but I don't think in my lifetime whereas some of you young blokes, well you might just say LFC was on the wrong mindset but Im comfortable enough I'd put money down on it. :)

Mid, P/R isn't an open scare as you mentioned thats their no problem I don't see this.
Alot we have mentioned these last posts mirrors the issues here in a far smaller scale BUT that the game changer these so called fatcats don't see themselves for their money tree.
Here just like in the USA and their ponzi sports systems Football could/should be the outlier amongst their usual franchise models. Why have the same because its easier to sell.
Imagine they having P/R whilst the others have their conference style BS comps/play offs.
Next with the ongoing influx of Latinos/Sth mericans/Mex etc they would be chomping to watch P/R games, its a fact they a chasing the "ethnics" haha go figure.....
Merican EPL viewership is at record highs, well MLS isn't in the numbers like their other major codes but the City/Arsenal game in March had 2M viewers reported by CBS.
https://www.nbcsports.com/pressbox/premier-league/press-releases/nbc-sports-manchester-city-arsenal-is-most-watched-premier-league-match-in-u-s-history
Below is the City LFC game stats I found eslewhere

 

  USA Network: A staggering 1.23 million viewers tuned in, making it the most-watched Premier League match on cable EVER.

 

  Telemundo: 566,000 viewers set a new record for the network's Spanish-language Premier League coverage.

 

  Combined: A whopping 1.8 million viewers across English and Spanish-language broadcasts

So imo football is their oyster in its true form the silly bastards but they'll see it successful in the future re transfers etc as mentioned and you'll see Bellingham sign for Galaxy or Miami in 15yrs time ripe at 35yrs for they will always keep buying marque euro players for the ongoing sugar hit :)  and Galaxy or Miami will have massive fireworks or AI robots prancing around celebrating Beckhams MLS signing 32yrs before hahaha

Looking at transfers from the mls last year. Some really impressive transfers out of the mls

If u leave the mls it tends to be for a top european club

Kind of remarkable how much it has changed in just 10 years from a league i would say was weaker than the a league to a league that is probably a better destination than the spfl

Would still rather seri b or buli 2 or something

And then didn't play