Who are the biggest premier league stars to play in the MLS
Major League Soccer has always relied on well-known figures to provide it with much-needed skill and exposure. Therefore, it is hardly a surprise that by basically targeting the Premier League stars, it makes sense for MLS teams. However, weekly expert predictions regarding the future of MLS do not always appear to be in favour of the teams that feature these former stars. Nonetheless, there is no denying that a few former English club stars who have travelled to the United States to compete in the American League have left their impact.
Although Major League Soccer has not historically been renowned for having a wealth of talent, in recent years its calibre has gradually increased in large part due to the signing of several players from the Premier League. MLS is growing in popularity too which will only mean that we should see more big names move to the league.
Big events like the World Cup, which is being held in the US in 2026 have only gone on to help the popularity of the beautiful game in the States. The recent rise in popularity can also be attributed to a rise in online sports betting across the states now that sports gambling is legal in a lot of jurisdictions. Soccer betting in the US is now more widely available than ever before and will only help to grow the soccer fan base in the states.
A few of the biggest Premier League players who have had a great impact and benefited from time spent in the MLS are listed below.
Carlos Vela
The Mexican player, who established a league record in 2019 by scoring 34 goals and adding 15 assists, has probably been the MLS's brightest star. He won the MLS Most Valuable Player in 2019. Along with his rapid quickness and dribbling talents, he is known for slipping past defenders, which has helped him lead a record-breaking LAFC attack; an attack that will see him be joined by former Premier League star, Gareth Bale.
Carlos Vela had an eight-year contract with Arsenal from 2005, when he was just 16 years old, until 2012, however in that time, he only made 29 appearances and scored three goals, spending the majority of it on loan at other teams. In an amazing career for Real Sociedad, he would go on to play 184 games and score 54 goals, but it has been since his move to the MLS in 2018 that he has really excelled.
David Beckham
David Beckham has been treated incredibly well by America's short history and he is undoubtedly one of the biggest players to have ever played in the history of Major League Soccer. It's simple to overlook how turbulent his MLS career has been after eventually winning a championship with LA in 2011. Since making the dramatic choice to sign with the Galaxy in 2007, Beckham's impact had been lessened by injuries and loan periods in Europe.
The Galaxy's success in 2010 (Supporters Shield winners), two MLS Cups, and two Supporters' Shields with the LA-based squad were greatly aided by Beckham, who earned a Best XI selection in each of those seasons. As a co-owner of Inter Miami, a South Florida expansion team, he is currently continuing to have an impact on the league.
Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry, the former Arsenal striker, is known for scoring amazing goals. He was signed in by the New York Red Bulls to score goals which he has accomplished since moving to Barcelona in 2010 where he scored 51 goals in 122 games. This is true despite the Red Bulls' tendency to be dragged away from their goal due to their inability to coordinate and sustain an assault.
He also won the MLS Best XI award three times and was a four-time All-Star. He won the Premier League Golden Boot four times and the FIFA World Cup with France before joining the New York-based team. Henry returned to Major League Soccer in 2019 as the head coach of the Montreal Impact after a great playing career but decided to walk away from that role.
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney managed a remarkable 183 goals in 393 games for Manchester United and this made him one of the all-time great players. He moved to DC United in 2018 at the age of 32 after a 17-year stint in the Premier League.
Over the course of two seasons, he played in 48 games, scoring 23 goals, and providing 15 assists. He decided to return to England after a brief time stateside, and has recently decided to walk away from the incredibly difficult job at Derby Country; one in which he was being extremely impressive.
Conclusion
These are historically just a few of the top figures in the sport who have competed on American soil. Evidently, they are known to be among some of the biggest football players in the world to have played in Major League Soccer at some point in the league’s existence.
