Football in North America has never been better, and Major League Soccer can thank the Premier League for the vast improvement of the quality on pitch over the past decade. The sport continues to grow in the United States, making the MLS among the fastest growing pro leagues in the world.
When the first wave of EPL stars migrated, the U.S. started to take notice, appreciating elite, world class athletes competing within their borders. The football writers at Canada Sports Betting consider the followings five EPL expats as the most influential to the growth of the MLS.
5 Juan Pablo Angel
No stranger to large sums of money, Juan Pablo Angel joined the MLS in 2007, lacing his boots for the New York Red Bulls. Before his move to the EPL, Angel played for Atletico Nacional and River Plate in top Argentinian and Columbian leagues. His £9.5 million contract in 2001 caused quite the stir, setting a compensation record for Aston Villa at the time. After six years in the EPL, he was the third best scorer in Aston Villa history, netting 62 strikes in 205 appearances.
He made his 2007 debut with the New York Red Bulls with an extra-time free kick strike during an U.S. Open Cup qualifying match, and went on to score 20 goals in 27 appearances during his first MLS season. Over 166 games with the Red Bulls and the Galaxy, Angel scored 77 goals and earned an MLS Best XI all-star nod in 2007.
He didn’t earn an MLS championship during his time with the league, but he was one of the most impactful additions among the first wave of designated players, helping to prove the legitimacy of the new salary structure of the league.
4 Clint Dempsey
Starting his pro football career with a stint on the New England Revolution, Clint Dempsey transferred to Fulham after a couple of years, where he became the club’s all-time leader goal scorer. In the process of a six-year stint in the EPL, he scored 72 goals, including 12 for Tottenham, becoming the most successful American to play in the Premier League.
In 2013, he returned to the MLS, signing a designated player contract with Seattle Sounders FC, scoring 40 goals in 86 appearances for the western conference club. After finishing as runner-up twice with the New England Revolution in 2005 and 2006, Dempsey finally earned an MLS Cup in 2016 with Seattle, although he was sidelined for the finals due to an irregular heartbeat.
While he hasn’t had the same impact on field as other EPL veterans, when Clint returned as a designated player in 2013, it showed that the MLS had enough money to lure an American star back into the league.
3 Thierry Henry
The most decorated footballers ever to grace an MLS field, Thierry Henry thrilled fans of the New York Red Bulls when he joined the team as a designated player in 2010. In addition to being a FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro Cup, Champions League and Premier League winner, he’s the fifth highest scoring player in EPL history. All of his 228 goals were scored for Arsenal, a mark only recently bested by Wayne Rooney with Manchester United.
His impact with the Red Bulls was immediate, and he guided them to a Supporters’ Shield and two eastern conference top finishes between 2010 and 2014. He was a three time MLS Best XI all-star, scoring 52 goals in 135 games while in New York.
He didn’t earn a championship in the MLS, but his time spent in North America helped attract even more talent from overseas due to his status in the sport. With all due respect to other EPL expats, Henry is probably the best player to ever suit up for the league.
2 David Beckham
There’s little that hasn’t been written about David Beckham, who’s leveraged his considerable status as a celebrity to spread the gospel of football to North America. Before hopping on a plane to play in Los Angeles, Beckham spent 11 years with Manchester United, growing his reputation for ridiculous free kicks and strikes that challenged the limits of the Bernoulli principle. Even Brazilian wizard Roberto Carlos deferred to Beckham while teammates at Real Madrid, preferring to spectate Beckham strikes rather than take the shot himself.
Amid much fanfare and media scrutiny, Beckham played his first game in North America in July 2007, lacing the boots for the Galaxy during a friendly against Chelsea. He ended up making 98 appearances for the LA Galaxy, winning a pair of MLS Cups and two Supporters’ Shields, retiring from the league as a champion in 2012.
It’s difficult to understate the importance of Beckham in the MLS. His presence drew noted American celebrities to games, helping to lift the league’s profile and popularity. In fact, the Designated Player Rule has been nicknamed “the Beckham Rule”, serving as proof that North American football franchises benefit from splashy signings of stars from the EPL.
1 Robbie Keane
Robbie Keane is known for his combination of hard-nosed play on the pitch, mixed with moments of athletic excellence and superb decision-making under duress. During his legendary career in the Premiere League, he was a top striker with teams such as Leeds, Tottenham, Liverpool and West Ham, netting 126 goals to make him the 13th best goal-scorer in EPL history.
After making his mark in Europe, Robbie Keane was solicited to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2011, joining fellow EPL designated player David Beckham. He quickly became an MLS Cup winner, responsible for creating the offense needed for the Galaxy’s 2011 championship run. In his first full season with Los Angeles, he scored 23 goals in 37 appearances. Overall, Keane has scored 104 goals in 165 regular season games in the MLS, becoming one of the top strikers in multiple leagues during his professional career.
Currently, Keane has stated that he’s not returning to the Galaxy, although he also mentioned that he isn’t retiring, which means that he could end up playing on another North American team during the 2017 season.
