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MLS has produced some fantastic players over the years and many of these MLS stars moved to the Premier League and shone. Former players like Cobi Jones, Kasey Keller, Brian McBride and Claudio Reyna all played a big part for the teams they represented in the Premier League. Former players from the MLS still playing in the Premier League include Clint Dempsey, Brad Friedel, Brad Guzan, Tim Howard and Brek Shea. Former MLS players have played a major part in Europe as DaMarcus Beasley at PSV, Michael Parkhurst at Augsburg, Oguchi Onyewu at Standard Liege, Carlos Bocenegra at Rangers, Jermaine Jones at Schalke, Sacha Kjestan at Anderlecht and Michael Bradley at Roma all had great success. MLS has a reputation of not being the most exciting league and the standard has been questioned; but with all the aforementioned players, is it that bad? Let’s have a look at the current MLS players who could have an effect in English and European football.
Diego Fagundez (18) – New England Revolution
Scout Report: Diego Fagundez has been a revelation for the Revs this season as his elegant passing game mixed with enthusiasm and technical abilities gives this player an old head on young shoulders. Fagundez has already represented Uruguay at U20 level and looks likely to feature in the first team in the future. Fagundez has been on the books at The Revs for 2 years, and this season he has been given the chance to show what he can do; he has definitely done this. He’s scored 5 goals and provided 3 assists this season from either a winger or floating attacking midfielder position. Fagundez terrorises defenders and ghosts into the spaces, which makes him difficult to keep quiet. At 18, he’s getting better each game he plays.
How Much: Fagundez is young and could be a cheap option in his debut season; but as his performances are getting more attention, his value is increasing by the game. Looking at £750,000 for him now, but at the end of the season you could be looking at £2 million.
Who should sign him? He is a project for any team and he is getting better by the game, but he will need to keep up these performances. Maybe Wigan, Newcastle, Norwich, Burnley or Watford, as all these teams set out with attack in mind so it’s the right environment for him.
Dax McCarty (26) – New York Red Bulls
Scout Report: Dax McCarty is a very underrated central midfielder. His endless running, hard tackling and calming influence on his team goes somewhat unnoticed when Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill take the credit for the team’s fortunes. The reason those two players tick upfront is because they have a solid midfield behind them, with McCarty being key. McCarty is a very mature player for the Red Bulls and keeps the team organised by protecting the back four with determination and maturity. Dax has also played for the USA national team on a few occasions, and should get more games in the future. He is a stereotypical Premier League midfielder and should be given a chance.
How Much: McCarty could a huge presence in any midfield if he is given the games to prove this. He is worth £2 million and he would be a bargain for any team.
Who should sign him? McCarty would suit a team which needs some bite in the midfield and protection for the back four. Newcastle, Swansea City, Norwich and Aston Villa would suit Dax, and possibly Celtic as well.
Sean Johnson (24) – Chicago Fire
Scout report: Towering at 6’4″, Sean Johnson is huge but very agile. Johnson has been part of the USA national team this year and will most likely go to the World Cup in 2014 if USA qualify, and if he stays injury-free. Johnson has been a very solid goalkeeper for Chicago this season; having waited for his chance last season as he was in his rookie season trying to force his way into the first team, he is certainly making up for it this season with some man of the match performances.
How Much: Johnson is worth around £2-3 million, but is a work in progress. Any team willing to give him the games to gain experience will have a very good goalkeeper in their squad. You a paying for raw potential, but it could pay off handsomely.
Who should sign him? Maybe Johnson should be looking more at La Liga or Championship than the Premier League for his first move to Europe. Johnson would suit Villarreal, Levante, Rayo Vallecano and Mallorca in La Liga where his physical dominance would make him stand out. He would also be a perfect fit in any team in the Championship. Johnson will need games and patience, and any team willing to give him this will gain a valuable asset.
Jack McInerney (20) – Philadelphia Union
Scout report: Jack McInerney has been a sensation this season for the Union and has been called up to the USA national team as a reward. McInerney has scored 12 goals in 18 games in all competitions this season, and looks every bit the natural predator in the box as proved by his goals-to-games ratio. McInerney has been in amazing form for USA in the U20 and U17 levels as he has scored 12 goals in 16 games. With his goal-scoring form, it is likely he will go to the World Cup and play a major part.
How Much: If McInerney continues his form and keeps impressing then his value will rocket. Currently he is worth £1 million, but this rises with each game he is involved in. Always worth paying for goals.
Who should sign him? McInerney would suit a team that likes to play with the striker deep inside the box, and will need a partner upfront as he is in the mould of Michael Owen, Ian Rush and Gary Lineker. Maybe Italy would be best for McInerney as physicality is less important. A team such as Roma, Genoa, AC Milan, Fiorentina or Atalanta could be on the look out for a young striking option. He would also suit Celtic or PSV if Italy wasn’t an option.
Will Johnson (26) – Portland Timbers
Scout Report: Will Johnson is the dynamo in the midfield which gets the players around him to step up their game. He is a box-to-box midfielder and has leadership qualities; he is also great in the tackle and useful around the opposition area. He finds gaps and exploits them; but he is on another wavelength as compared to the rest of his team sometimes, and getting them to step up has been a hard challenge for him. He has already played in Holland for Heerenveen and has been part of the Blackburn Rovers youth team; so Johnson has European experience to bring to the team. Johnson has plenty of international experience with Canada, scoring 3 goals in 33 appearances.
How much: For a box-to-box international, Johnson may be a bargain at £800,000 and would be a great acquisition for any team willing to give him the games to succeed.
Who should sign him? Higher end Championship teams like Burnley, Leicester, Derby and Reading would benefit from having a player like Johnson; maybe a possible return to Blackburn Rovers would help them regain Premier league status.
