It was 20 years ago that Major League Soccer set about making its mark in both its sport and in the North American sporting world, an ongoing quest that has been met with its share of success but still continues to pose significant challenges. As Thursday's All-Star Game (ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET) gives the league a moment to reset, our MLS Insiders take a look at the state of the league in 2016 and theorize about what the future might hold.
How would you rate MLS compared to other leagues around the world?
Jeff Carlisle, ESPN soccer columnist: I'd say MLS is at or near the top 10, perhaps on par with the English Championship. Certainly there are some outstanding players in MLS, but the rosters lacks quality depth. You still see this phenomenon often against Mexican sides in the CONCACAF Champions League, where MLS teams typically struggle.
Doug McIntyre, ESPN soccer staff writer: MLS is better than a lot of leagues but still sits outside the top 10 worldwide in my opinion. And it still has an awfully long way to go before it's able to go toe-to-toe with the truly elite top-flight circuits in Spain, Germany, Italy and England.
Paul Carr, ESPN senior soccer researcher, ESPN Stats & Info: Once you get past the top five or so European leagues plus Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, MLS can match up talent-wise with most any league. The top teams in several other European leagues (Portugal, Turkey, etc.) are likely better, but the average and bottom-half teams in those leagues are not. So that puts MLS somewhere in the 10-20 range worldwide.
Has there been adequate growth in MLS in terms of talent and the overall game? What's the next step for MLS?
Carlisle: I guess the key word here is "adequate." I think the talent and overall game have grown, but I'm always left wanting more. At some point, the coffers have to be opened up further so MLS can compete better for top international players. I think that's the next step.
McIntyre: The short answer is: No. The level of play is better than it was in the league's early days, but not that much better. Much of this is by design; over the last 15 or so years, the league's priority, quite correctly, has been building infrastructure by adding stadiums and training facilities while expanding into new markets. Now that that foundation is there, MLS needs to invest significantly more money in the on-field product; MLS can't and won't compete with the world's best until it pays comparable salaries.
Carr: Growth has been adequate but will have to improve for MLS to make the leap. The next step is for every club to have a development academy that includes a full education structure, along the lines of what Philadelphia and Los Angeles have done. Signing big-name players is important both on and off the field, but the foundation upon which those transactions are built comes from domestic development.
How good is MLS at developing young talent compared to other leagues? Is it a good development ground for promising USMNT prospects?
Carlisle: I think it's getting better. Not only do teams now have academies but reserve sides as well, so fewer players in the 18-23 age group slip through the cracks. That said, there is still a lot of catching up to do. Not every team's academy is like that of FC Dallas, which seems to produce prospects at an impressive clip. Others seem to be pipelines to college and nothing more. I'm not saying college is an awful thing -- some players are late-bloomers, but more academies ought to be producing prospects that go straight into at least the reserve team, if not the first team roster. Think Justen Glad at RSL.
McIntyre: Again, compared to the very best of the best in countries like Spain and Germany, MLS academies are in their infancy and, as a consequence, have a ways to go. At the senior level, not enough talented young players get the opportunity to get regular minutes, and their development suffers as a result. That said, those who do play, such as DeAndre Yedlin and Gyasi Zardes, get invaluable first-team experience that they almost certainly would not get in Europe. That's why MLS has been and will continue to be hugely important to the national team.
Carr: Once players get to the first team, MLS is a fine proving ground for potential U.S. internationals. The issue can be before that, when the best players aren't always challenged as much by their club or college team as they would be by full-time training within a top club (be it European or MLS). As MLS grows and deepens its academies, this can and should change.
What's the biggest issue facing MLS in the near term?
Carlisle: Since I think getting more out of the academies is a long-term project, I would say getting more Sebastian Giovincos and Mauro Diazes into the league: talented, creative players in their prime.
McIntyre: Raising the quality of play. As easy as it is to say that the league should simply loosen the purse strings, there are still a few teams -- and maybe more than a few -- that are losing money and can't afford to triple or quadruple their current payroll to match the level even Mexican clubs are spending on personnel.
Carr: Improving the level of play while continuing to expand. After contracting down to 10 teams before the 2002 season, MLS is now targeting a 28-team league in the near future. Each club must continue to both develop internal talent and discover external talent to keep the standard of play on the rise and avoid a watering down of talent that expansion could bring.
If there was one current MLS player and one current MLS coach you could sign to a lifetime contract to be a part of this league forever, who would you choose?
Carlisle: Assuming age would never catch up to him, I'd say Robbie Keane (among players). He's come in with exactly the right attitude you need in a Designated Player, and his production has been off the charts. For coach, I'd pick Bruce Arena, not only for his success on the field, but because he's also always an interesting quote. The league needs more of this.
McIntyre: Coach? That's easy: Bruce Arena. It won't happen, but as a journalist, I'd love to cover a Commissioner Arena one day. Player is more difficult, because there's a ton of smart guys in this league. Off the top of my head, I think of someone like Seattle's Herculez Gomez, who has been successful in both MLS and Liga MX.
Carr: For players, it's Chris Wondolowski. Few embody the hard-working characteristics of MLS more than Wondo, and I'm convinced that he could still use his Jedi mind tricks to find space in the box at age 50. At coach, it's Bruce Arena. He may not care for soccer stats or analytics, but at least he's willing to go on that rant. No coach is more accomplished in American soccer, no one has less fear of league punishment for his outbursts, and no one rounds a team into shape over the course of an MLS season better than Arena. That's a beautiful combination I wish would last forever.
What will we be saying about MLS in 10 years that we're not saying today?
Carlisle: I hope we're saying that player salaries from top to bottom are on par at least with teams from Mexico, and that MLS teams have 100 percent control over player signings instead of needing approval from the league. But I'm not optimistic on this. I guess that leaves the hope that all MLS teams will be producing pro players directly from their academies at a rate similar to what FC Dallas is doing today.
McIntyre: Ten years is an eon in this sport, so that's tough. But I hope we're saying that there's no advantage for young American and Canadian players to begin their pro careers in Europe, because everything they need -- all-world coaching, facilities and first teams able to consistently lure top players in their primes -- is available right here at home.
Carr: As MLS makes incremental progress in all areas, its continued expansion and the changing demographics in the U.S. should combine to push the league into at least a clear-cut fourth place among North American sports leagues, ahead of the NHL and perhaps creeping up on MLB.