Transfers Galore: More Americans Headed to Europe
American football players rush to Europe! Major League Soccer and USL sent a total of 37 players to different clubs in Europe during the January transfer window. This shows that these leagues are growing as the players begin to filter into some of the best teams in the world.
Player Ricardo Pepi scored a huge deal transferring from FC Dallas to FC Augsburg for a whopping $18 million deal! This made me wonder, Why do Americans want to come to Europe to play football, and will American leagues ever match the level of European leagues?
I think there are a few reasons Americans want to come to Europe to play soccer. They can make more money. The European players have a higher salary because their leagues bring in more money. The top players in Europe have made up to $60 million dollars. The top players in the US are only making around $5 million. In Europe, there is a bigger audience. There is a much bigger following of football. It is the most popular sport to watch or play. In the United States, professional sports such as American football, baseball, hockey, and Nascar have larger followings.
These reasons lead to the European leagues overall having more talent. The Americans that transfer are very good. As much as soccer/football has grown in America, it will be a long time before they are even near the same level. In the meantime, I believe the best American players will continue to move over to Europe.
Sources
http://stage.foresightsports.com/blog/understanding-american-soccer-vs-european-football
https://en.as.com/en/2022/02/02/soccer/1643763600_417157.html
https://soccerblade.com/how-much-soccer-players-paid/
This was a very interesting article to read about. Player movement has become the norm in the sports world and not just in soccer. Players in soccer are starting to control their own destinies, and the better the talent, the more power and money comes with them. Players also benefit from being on a global stage besides all the financial perks.
ReplyDeleteI believe that more Americans, have grown and realized that the true talent of soccer comes in Europe, not in the states. The MLS has become a place for stars to go and finish their careers. Get a nice house in LA, play for the LA Galaxy on a multi-million dollar contract and then call it quits. Young stars now realize that they shouldn't be competing with players who are playing their final years before retirement. This is why I believe more and more Americans are trying to find their way to Europe to start their careers in soccer, and to be fair I believe that, that is the right decision.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest attraction to European soccer in the minds of soccer players is 100% the money. Due to the bigger audience, the league and clubs earn more thus allowing them to spend more on their players. Personally, "37 players" going to Europe seems very high which is encouraging to me. I'd love to see more American players play on the world stage and get the recognition they deserve. Also, it seems like the popularity of soccer in America is growing which leads me to believe that this number is only gonna go up from here!
ReplyDeleteWhen looking towards what attracts players to Europe the main points where covered in the article and other replies except for one, atmosphere. This is not just atmosphere in the games but also in everyday life. People live and breath football and they talk about it in school, work, the street, and anywhere they can. Being a player of the team of the city makes you very famous. This is something that can compare to NBA and American leagues because MLS players do not get that kind of attention.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see that Americans are making their way into Europe to play soccer. It is a no brainer to me that a player would choose to do so given the chance. As you said, the fan base and the money is 10x better, why would you not want that as a player? If you make it to a professional soccer level or even a collegiate or high school level, you probably watched European soccer and were invested in it. Then when given the chance to be a part of what you used to watch, there is no way anyone would turn that down. The question is how can the U.S. mimic that? My only thought is that they can't right now, without the fan base I don't think it is possible. What is needed is time for American to start watching these American players that will continue to go over to Europe, and then a fan base should form over a long period of time.
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