Ivan Larsen 
The top soccer players around the world may all come from Europe, South America, and Africa, but here in the US, we have produced some incredible talents that are now in some of the world’s biggest leagues, formally playing in the prestigious MLS. Many people choose to come to the MLS to pursue the American dream in sports, whereas some players are born and raised on US soil, moving out to Europe to make a name for themselves. In recent years, the league’s profile has continued to rise, much like other booming industries in the region, such as nj online casino platforms, which have also grown rapidly in popularity.
Jack Harrison
Jack Harrison is an English winger who has become a massive part of Leeds United’s journey back to the Premier League. While Harrison now plays in the English top flight, things were never easy for the star. At a young age, Harrison was rejected and disregarded in England by the academies of Liverpool and Manchester United, before he was moved to the US at the age of 14. During his time in the USA, Harrison represented Black Rock SC and Manhattan SC at the youth level before representing Wake Forest Demon Deacons in 2015 as part of Wake Forest University. This was the step he needed to reach his MLS dream, being picked up by New York City FC after only a year with Wake Forest. His 2016-2017 spell in the MLS ended with a move to the Premier League side Manchester City, before loan spells at Middlesbrough and Leeds. Currently, as of 2025, Harrison has signed permanently at Leeds in 2021 and still remains with the Yorkshire side after a 2 year loan spell at Everton. With the new Premier League season underway, who knows what might be in store for the Englishman?
Alphonso Davies
The now Bayern Munich left back has become a huge figure in European football, not just for his incredibly quick speed and control on the ball, but also his incredibly likeable personality and humble mentality. Born in Ghana, Davies migrated with his parents to Canada to escape poor living conditions and conflict, and ended up pursuing his dream of football in the North American country. He started his youth career playing for Edmonton before being given an opportunity with the Vancouver Whitecaps reserve team in 2015. He was soon promoted to the first team in 2016, where he would spend 2 years lighting up the MLS and confirming his nationality change to Canadian. In 2018, Bayern Munich purchased the then 18 year old to initially feature in their reserve squad until 2019. Since then, Davies has won 6 Bundesliga titles, a Champions League, and a Club World Cup, just to name a few, while being announced as captain of his national side, where he continues to represent at the age of 24.
Miguel Almiron
The now 31 year old winger, Miguel Almiron, is a massive name in the MLS who used the league to project his career, and even spent the last few years of his career. The Paraguayan winger was electric for Atlanta United after he impressed the side during his 3 years in South American football in both Paraguay and Argentina. After spending 3 years in Atlanta and becoming a fan favourite, he moved to the Premier League with an upcoming Newcastle United side that had just been taken over by Saudi Arabian state ownership. The goal of the club was clear: to qualify for the Champions League and win their first piece of silverware in many decades. Almiron played a massive part in his 6 year spell on Tyneside, achieving the goal of bringing Newcastle back to the European stage, as well as winning the EFL Cup, the first piece of silverware for Newcastle in over 70 years. In 2025, towards the end of his Newcastle career, Almiron returned to his beloved Atlanta United after becoming a fan favourite for the Toon in 2025, hoping to bring back the glory of the MLS Cup win in 2018.
Players Joining the MLS
While there have been many cases of some top talents leaving the MLS and showcasing their skills on the European stages in some of the biggest leagues in the world, there has also been a long list of players choosing to come to the MLS to end their careers.
The likes of Lionel Messi, David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Andrea Pirlo, Luis Suarez, Frank Lampard, and David Villa are just a few names that opted to move to the States to conclude their career. It simply highlights how powerful the MLS really is, providing opportunities for young talents to break through and dominate around the world, while also attracting huge name players.
