Recently, MLS has a dubious status from critics as a "retirement league;" a place that former stars from Europe come to get one last big pay check while giving sub-part effort and riding their...
Recently, MLS has a dubious status from critics as a "retirement league;" a place that former stars from Europe come to get one last big pay check while giving sub-part effort and riding their name into the sunset. This lead a lot of followers of the league and fans of D.C. United to be apprehensive about the side signing Wayne Rooney, who appeared to be on the tail end of his career in the Premier League.
This is a story about the viral, 67K RTs on the MLS twitter post alone, gigantic play he did in the closing moments of a match to deliver victory to his team.
If Rooney can give 3 or 4 good seasons in the MLS, I think he is one of those players that can help bring the sport up a bit. Some other former stars definitely just come for the paycheck and to...
If Rooney can give 3 or 4 good seasons in the MLS, I think he is one of those players that can help bring the sport up a bit. Some other former stars definitely just come for the paycheck and to take it easy, but don't bring in fans of the league just people that want to see a superstar play.
MLS critics will find a way to shit on the league regardless of whether aging European stars do well or poorly. If they do well, then the league is shit and even a slow, 32-year-old Rooney can...
MLS critics will find a way to shit on the league regardless of whether aging European stars do well or poorly. If they do well, then the league is shit and even a slow, 32-year-old Rooney can roll back the years against non-existent defense. If they do poorly, it's a retirement league that attracts aging, past-their-prime European stars.
Personally, I'm glad the MLS has migrated away from relying on the designated player slot for aging star power from Europe. There are still a good number of those obviously, but most of the league is made up of talent sourced from North, Central, and South America. It's probably the #1 reason why CONCACAF has become more competitive in recent years - MLS has done wonders for the development of players from small CONCACAF nations.
Yeah, honestly MLS has probably done more for small CONCACAF nations than it has for the United States in terms of developing talent. I have to admit I was proven wrong by the Rooney move, I...
Yeah, honestly MLS has probably done more for small CONCACAF nations than it has for the United States in terms of developing talent.
I have to admit I was proven wrong by the Rooney move, I personally thought he didn't have enough left in the tank. But, at the same time, United has some exciting, young latin American players in Yamil Asad and Luciano Acosta, so it's clear an MLS team can both sign some "marquee" aging stars and also bring in some young talent from overseas. So, I am not sure why so many people make it a one or the other type situation.
I was right there with you. I've been following (Manchester) United since the mid-90s, so I watched Rooney a lot. He had pretty much lost his physical edge by age 28-29 IMO. I couldn't be happier...
I was right there with you. I've been following (Manchester) United since the mid-90s, so I watched Rooney a lot. He had pretty much lost his physical edge by age 28-29 IMO. I couldn't be happier for him now because it was sad to watch his decline post-SAF. Although part of that decline could be attributed to playing in a relatively weak squad with shitty tactics.
But, at the same time, United has some exciting, young latin American players in Yamil Asad and Luciano Acosta, so it's clear an MLS team can both sign some "marquee" aging stars and also bring in some young talent from overseas. So, I am not sure why so many people make it a one or the other type situation.
It's like the news: they're more likely to report negative news about popular people than positive news about up-and-comers. I don't know much about United specifically, but the league as a whole is really driven by younger, lesser-known talent. They just don't make the same news like Rooney.
Recently, MLS has a dubious status from critics as a "retirement league;" a place that former stars from Europe come to get one last big pay check while giving sub-part effort and riding their name into the sunset. This lead a lot of followers of the league and fans of D.C. United to be apprehensive about the side signing Wayne Rooney, who appeared to be on the tail end of his career in the Premier League.
This is a story about the viral, 67K RTs on the MLS twitter post alone, gigantic play he did in the closing moments of a match to deliver victory to his team.
If Rooney can give 3 or 4 good seasons in the MLS, I think he is one of those players that can help bring the sport up a bit. Some other former stars definitely just come for the paycheck and to take it easy, but don't bring in fans of the league just people that want to see a superstar play.
MLS critics will find a way to shit on the league regardless of whether aging European stars do well or poorly. If they do well, then the league is shit and even a slow, 32-year-old Rooney can roll back the years against non-existent defense. If they do poorly, it's a retirement league that attracts aging, past-their-prime European stars.
Personally, I'm glad the MLS has migrated away from relying on the designated player slot for aging star power from Europe. There are still a good number of those obviously, but most of the league is made up of talent sourced from North, Central, and South America. It's probably the #1 reason why CONCACAF has become more competitive in recent years - MLS has done wonders for the development of players from small CONCACAF nations.
Yeah, honestly MLS has probably done more for small CONCACAF nations than it has for the United States in terms of developing talent.
I have to admit I was proven wrong by the Rooney move, I personally thought he didn't have enough left in the tank. But, at the same time, United has some exciting, young latin American players in Yamil Asad and Luciano Acosta, so it's clear an MLS team can both sign some "marquee" aging stars and also bring in some young talent from overseas. So, I am not sure why so many people make it a one or the other type situation.
I was right there with you. I've been following (Manchester) United since the mid-90s, so I watched Rooney a lot. He had pretty much lost his physical edge by age 28-29 IMO. I couldn't be happier for him now because it was sad to watch his decline post-SAF. Although part of that decline could be attributed to playing in a relatively weak squad with shitty tactics.
It's like the news: they're more likely to report negative news about popular people than positive news about up-and-comers. I don't know much about United specifically, but the league as a whole is really driven by younger, lesser-known talent. They just don't make the same news like Rooney.