The Club World Cup that is currently taking place in the United States, emphasizes the power of football in the country. But it also draws attention to all the wrong reasons: Schaars attended stadiums and especially a lack of atmosphere was noticed in the early matches of the tournament. This is especially striking considering that the country is organizing the World Cup next year. So how strong is football in North America anyway? Has Major League Soccer (MLS) really found his foot after the arrival of global superstars?
MLS to prepare for post-Messi
The arrival of Megastars – led mainly through Lionel Messi – has contributed to accelerating the consolidation of MLS, a competition founded a few years after the 1994 World Cup in the US and which became strength when David Beckham came to the competition. Now, with the huge platform for hosting two world cups in two consecutive summers, the competition is preparing for its next major test: the survival of the post-Messi era.
“The true test of the power of MLS will come after Messi retires. Only then will we see whether the competition has built up a sustainable structure that is able to maintain its growth outside the boost of one global figure – and the collapse avoiding that Pelé's retirement followed in 1977 in 1977,” says Juan J. López, a Gópez, a Gópez, a Gópez, a Gópez, a Gópez, a Gópez, a Gópez, a Gópez, a Gópez, a Gópez, a Gópez, and owner of the Gópez, and owner of the Gópez, and owner, and the Gópez, and owner, and the Gópezegez, Gópezezezezezezezezezezezel game and Gópez, and Gópez and Gópez, and Gópez and Gópez and's Gópezezezezezezezezezez and Gópeze Game MLS market for MLS and owner of the MLS market, the MLS market, the MLS market, and owner of the MLS market, and owner of the MLS market and of the MLS market in the MLS market.
So while fans enjoy the last years of Messi on the field, the competition works actively to mitigate the blow of his final retirement – when the Argentinian star decides to hang its boots. One of the most important strategies that is underway is the import of talent, mainly from Europe and South America. “It is not a shame to make an offer to bring in talent – whether they are coaches or players,” explains López.
That claim is supported by Futboljobs, the leading football platform in Europe, also based in Spain. In the past two months alone, it has received more than 90 vacancies from the United States – the majority in youth football. “Just like in other markets such as Saudi Aarabia, where money is the most important draw, the attraction of the American market is the chance to be part of the growth of football in one of the world's most important countries,” says Futboljobs CEO Valentín Botella Nicolás. “Salaries in MLS are not very high. For example, a player who comes from the university can earn around $ 60,000 if they are average and up to $ 120,000 when they arrive with a certain level,” López adds.
Talent flow to and from MLS
Yet this stream of talent is no longer intended as a one -way road. The goal is now two -way exchange. A good example is Taty Castellanos, a striker drawn on 18 by City Group for New York City FC, who was transferred to Lazio for $ 16.2 million after loan spells in clubs such as Girona in 2023. This season in Italy he scored 14 goals and delivered 8 assists. A recent list on Futboljobs reinforces this shift: “MLS team is looking for U22 Central -midfielder” -and they are even willing to pay a transfer costs of a maximum of $ 3.25 million.
But it is not only players who feed the American football ecosystem. The plan also includes recruiting coaches to help develop local talent. “There is a huge amount of football knowledge in Europe, so when a coach arrives in the US, they have a lot to offer,” says López. “North American clubs constantly release vacancies for youth coaches,” adds Botella.
Some current offers on Futboljobs are: head coach for Chicago Fire, Performance Coach for Seattle Sounders, Youth Coach for Teamsy Soccer and Head of performance at the New York Red Bulls Academy.