In an interview with the Guardian, MLS commissioner Don Garber suggested that the Egyptian soccer executive who urged Mohamed Salah to avoid the league should look at Lionel Messi starring for Inter Miami.
Garber’s comments come after Egypt national team director Ibrahim Hassan said Salah should stay in Europe after leaving Liverpool because MLS is “too far from the spotlight”. Hassan later said that if Salah “does not get offers from Europe, a move to the Saudi league would be a good option.”
Garber said this was an opinion he had not heard before reading the Guardian’s comments.
“Well, that’s the first time I’ve heard anything like that,” Garber said during an interview Monday at league meetings in Sarasota, Florida. “Leo Messi is the most popular player in the world. He was, and he still is. I would be happy to send an Apple subscription to the head of the Egypt FA so he can watch as many Messi games as he wants.”
This is not the first time a senior soccer player has questioned the quality of MLS. In 2015, Sebastian Giovinco left Juventus and made an instant splash with Toronto FC, leading the once moribund club to three MLS Cup finals in four seasons. But in 2016 Gian Piero Ventura dropped Giovinco from his Italy team, saying “he plays in a league that doesn’t matter much”.
MLS has also proven to be a popular choice for experienced players trying to find potential form ahead of the World Cup. As Wales prepare for their first game at the 2022 World Cup, the team’s manager, Rob Page, said Gareth Bale joined Los Angeles FC last summer.it was the right move“For the player. Colombia’s James Rodriguez is hoping to repeat that feat with Minnesota United ahead of this summer’s tournament, while Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar Signed a short-term deal with Toronto FC ahead of the 2014 World Cup.
“I think (Hassan’s) approach is very indicative of what MLS is dealing with as we evolve into an aspiring major player on the world stage,” Garber said Monday. “I remember, a while ago, the coach of the Mexican national team was saying: ‘If you’re in MLS, you’re not going to play for our national team.’ That is not the case today. We have national team players who have played in Major League Soccer, and we have two or three players who are playing for Argentina and playing in MLS.”
Notably, Saturday’s scoreless draw with Portugal featured two of Mexico’s starting players developed in MLS academies: 20-year-old Obed Vargas (Seattle) and 22-year-old Brian Gutierrez (Chicago). Both players were distinguished US-Mexico dual citizens whose commitment to El Tri strengthened the team’s pool of midfielders.
MLS supplied the most players for the 2022 World Cup teams of any league system beyond Europe’s established Big-Five. 36 players are being selected While on an MLS roster and another from the third-division developmental MLS Next Pro.
These days, the league is generally considered among the 15 best in the world by various metrics. As of March 30, MLS is in 13th place Opta’s League Power RankingsBetween the top flights of Poland and Croatia, it has become the third-highest circuit outside Europe, behind the Liga Profesional Argentina (eighth) and the Brazilian Serie A (ninth). Currently, Opta ranks the Saudi Pro League as the 37th strongest league in the world.
Nonetheless, Hassan’s comments reveal that long-standing perception problems regarding the potential of MLS remain. This week’s CSO meetings are in Sarasota to complement the GA Cup going on in nearby Bradenton. The youth tournament featured all 30 MLS academies among the 88-team field, which included notable participants from beyond the MLS ranks, including the under-15 or under-16 teams of FC Barcelona, Boca Juniors and FC Bayern Munich.
As a result, Garber who said While he would “love” to see Salah play in MLS, he didn’t struggle to pepper his response with evidence of the league’s growth.
“We’re constantly dealing with the perspective that we, Americans, will never get it, and that’s not true,” Garber said. “We have dozens of players (who have come through MLS teams) playing in Europe. We have some of the best players in the world playing here. If you put them up against any league in the world we have the best facilities. We have a national team coach (Mauricio Pochettino) who has been on the world stage, who believes in Major League Soccer. I’ve been dealing with skepticism for 27 years. It’s never stopped me, and it never will.” Won’t stop.”
