While Major League Soccer’s regular-season starts to wrap up and playoff positions begin to fill, all of Europe’s top-flight competitions begin this month, including the English Premier League and Germany’s Bundesliga. Gone are the days where ageing stars fleeing from Spain or Italy to North America in the twilight of their playing careers is the only connection between the MLS and European football.
In fact, the intercontinental transfer market has come full circle in recent years. Instead of 35-year-old striker’s heading for Los Angeles to die, we are now seeing promising MLS prospects head for Leipzig to kickstart their European football career.