Other Leagues

The original purpose of this piece was to find players who began their careers in American soccer in the lower league and worked their way up to Major League Soccer — not players who went out on loan, rather athletes who signed for a USL or NPSL club, impressed at that level, and drew the attention of an MLS side.

But after a thorough examination of numerous MLS rosters, I found that this type of career path is almost nonexistent; such upward mobility is nearly impossible in American soccer.

It's easy to criticize American soccer, but in doing so, we can't embrace the unique stage of development the game is going through right now.

Soccer in the states has only gotten consistent traction in the last few decades, and there are very few professional sports leagues across the world that are actively expanding — none are doing so at the rate of American soccer.

This leads to the constant restructuring of leagues and teams moving between divisions — both of which are further complicated by the lack of promotion and relegation within our footballing pyramid.

Formiga, 44, is a legend of the game in the truest sense of the word. Though she retired from the Brazilian national team in November, she began her 30th year of professional football on Monday as the Brasileiro Feminino A1 season kicked off. She may be old enough to be both team captain and team mom, but she’s still out there breaking ankles with ageless grace and style on the pitch.