Eric Hassli was and still is a journeyman of a striker. He has played in France, England, Switzerland and the United States over a 15 year career that has seen him suit up for 10 different teams. The longest he has ever stayed with one team was 3 years with FC Zurich. He had a hard time staying in one place, but that did not stop him from scoring one of the best goals in league history at one of his destinations:
We’ve all heard the critique before, we’ve even been a party to it. Is Major League Soccer a retirement home for European stars seeking one final paycheck and the benefits of living in North America?
The answer to this question is clearly important with regards to the national, as well as global, perception of MLS.
World Cup 2014. USA vs Portugal. It's the 64th minute and Jermaine Jones picks up a loose ball following a corner. We all know what happened next.
Few players on the USMNT represented the American spirit better than Jermaine Jones. Sure, Tim Howard may have had the memes, but it was Jones whose indomitable presence and ferocious drive truly captured the feeling of that summer.
Before Mexican striker Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez set the world on fire at Bayer Leverkusen, he was a backup Manchester United striker who just wanted some playing time. He almost went to MLS to get it.
Bayer Leverkusen ended up with Hernandez, but also in the mix were Juventus, Lazio and Orlando City, among others.
From ESPNFC:
In 2006, Charlie Davies was the hottest prospect in all of American soccer. He’d returned from a knee injury suffered during his sophomore season with Boston College to score fifteen goals in sixteen games during his junior year. His performances made him a finalist for the Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top college soccer player, and had seen him included on the roster for the 2005 Elite Milk Cup competition.
The digital editors over at MLS have created an astounding compilation video comprised of each MLS team’s best goal ever. The video includes goals from all 20 current MLS clubs, as well as the best from the now defunct Chivas USA, Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny.
Entering its 21st season, MLS may not have as large of a selection size as the Premier League or La Liga (especially so for clubs like New York City FC, Orlando City SC and the Montreal Impact) but there are some absolute beauties in this mix.
Nigel de Jong is a tiger. I'll explain.
Chris Rock's Never Scared is the first comedy special during which I remember laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. One of my favorite bits from that particular special is his joke about magicians Siegfied and Roy and the alleged tiger that ended their show in Las Vegas. Have a watch:
Mexico international Carlos Vela better be a member of a frequent flyer program because he sure has logged a lot of miles in his career for a 27-year-old. After beginning his youth career with Chivas in Guadalajara, he was signed by Arsenal as a teenager. Then came the loans. While waiting, and hoping, for his Arsenal career to take off, he spent time with Celta Vigo, Salamanca, Osasuna and West Bromwich Albion. Arsenal was still uninterested in keeping Vela with their first team.
On March 9, Clint Dempsey turned 33. George Best, Eric Cantona and Michel Platini all retired before reaching that milestone. Zinedine Zidane, Pele and Jurgen Klinsmann all retired at 34. With that in mind, you could forgive Dempsey for slowing down as he reaches the later stages of his playing career.
But Clint Dempsey would never forgive himself.
According to a report from the AS in Spain, David Beckham is looking to make Roberto Carlos manager of his new Miami MLS expansion club. The two spent four years together at Real Madrid and have remained great friends ever since.