As Major League Soccer has grown, the level of play in the USA has developed as well. With more talent coming into the league, and the development of academies across the country, the game has never been stronger in the United States.
While the league has benefited the American national teams, the same cannot be said for the Canadian game. On American franchises until 2016, the American players were the only ones in MLS to be granted domestic status. The only chance for Canadians to have that status was on one of the three Canadian MLS clubs, the Montreal Impact, Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps.