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Last month, the English Football Association (FA) had new governing body approval (GBE) criteria for international player visas approved by the Home Office in the UK, allowing clubs greater access to overseas players , paving the way for MLS talent to make an easier transition across the Atlantic.
The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union meant that players from the continent could no longer move freely into the country, with 15 visa points needed for clubs playing in the English league system (Premier League and EFL) to recruit from abroad. A player’s eligibility is assessed by a number of factors, including league quality, domestic minutes, continental minutes, international appearances, final league position and continental progression.
Where clubs in the EFL might have previously bought into second-tier European sides to find talent at value prices, the points-based system meant those playing in leagues such as the 2. Bundesliga or the Norwegian Elitesieren, where Erling Haaland was discovered and Martin Odegaard, was unlikely to have accumulated enough points to qualify for a transfer to England. This prompted English clubs to widen their net in the search for talent, with international players in leagues in Asia and North and South America becoming more attractive due to the potential to find cost-effective alternatives to targets in Europe. Brighton and Hove Albion have seen the most success from tighter restrictions, signing Alexis Mac Allister, who was recently sold to Liverpool, from Argentinos Juniors, as well as Moises Caicedo, who can be sold this summer for around £100 million ($128 million). , just two years after joining from Ecuadorian club Independiente de Valle for £5m ($6.49m).
The most notable example is Kaoru Mitoma, who Brighton signed from Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale and immediately sent out on loan to partner club Union SG in Belgium after failing to accumulate enough points to accept a work permit in England. While he may not be ready for Premier League football straight away, it would have been possible for Brighton to loan Mitoma to a Championship club under the new rules, perhaps a more desirable option to prepare a player for the demands of football English.
The new settlement allows clubs in the English Football League (from the Premier League to the Second Division, the fourth tier of English football) to have up to four players who did not previously meet the criteria.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: “As English football’s governing body, we oversee the entire football ecosystem and wanted to create a new model that would meet the diverse objectives of our football stakeholders.
“We have worked closely with clubs and leagues and designed a progressive solution which will give clubs additional access to international talent and boost playing opportunities for English talent.
For MLS, the effect is twofold. First, clubs in the United States will now begin to find more British bulls in the areas where they have recently flexed their muscles. While the top clubs in South America are already heavily monitored by the European giants, as evidenced by Julian Alvarez’s successful move to Manchester City, MLS clubs have benefited significantly from identifying talent in smaller clubs and leagues outside of Argentina and Brazil, especially after the impact of the covid-19 pandemic. Now that English clubs across the professional pyramid have the license to buy into these talent factories, MLS clubs may find it more difficult to recruit talent.
“So before, we competed with English clubs on very rare occasions, and obviously, it’s really difficult for us to compete with them because the dream of many players is to play in the Premier League,” Andre Zanotta, technical director of FC Dallas. , said Athletics. “Sometimes those big football groups, like City Football Group, would sign a player with a view to going to Manchester City later – those multi-club ownership groups with English clubs in it was how we would usually we competed with the Prime Minister. League. Now it will certainly be tougher: more competition means higher prices. It will be more difficult, but we must be prepared. We are already competing with very important markets in Europe, but when you add the English clubs to this battle, yes – it will definitely be more challenging for us.”
For many MLS clubs, recruiting players for small fees from smaller markets, whether in South and Central America or further afield, with the potential to be sold to a top five European league, is a core principle of their success on and off the field. . Offering a route to Europe, following the path of players such as Miguel Almiron, is a tempting field for players. But if England arrive at the same time, players like Almiron or Thiago Almada, who looks set to become the second South American to leave Atlanta United for Europe, could opt to skip MLS and move straight to across the Atlantic. The same principle applies to Africa, where MLS clubs have used links to acquire first-team regulars such as Kwadwo “Mahala” Opoku, Nouhou Tolo and Latif Blessing.
“With Latif, my guys that I deal with there said, ‘Hey, you’re not going to believe this guy. Keep an eye on it. The next thing you know, he was first or second in the league in scoring during that half-season,” says Brian Bliss, who recruited Blessing to Sporting Kansas City from Liberty Professionals, a Ghanaian club based in the capital of “So we took a chance on him. It was very much based on being there a few times and making connections. If someone says, ‘Hey, he plays like that.’ He’s not Cruyff, but he does things like that.’ You have an idea of who the guy is, right? You build a rapport with somebody there, and you say, well, that’s interesting. You know, maybe I’ll take a chance on that guy.”
While Kansas City wasn’t able to see the best of Blessing due to Los Angeles FC taking him with the second pick of the 2017 Expansion Draft, venturing into more “dark” markets has served the club well. Attacking midfielder Gadi Kinda was signed by Beitar Jerusalem in Israel and Marinos Tzionis was recruited from Omonia for approx. €1.6 million ($1.74 million) after breaking into the Cypriot first team as a teenager. According to Bliss, if he came from Uruguay and his last name was Rodriguez, he would have cost the club more than 10 million dollars. As British clubs begin to enter these markets more, the opportunities to find such deals will become more challenging for MLS clubs.
More encouragingly, however, it also provides a more direct route to England for MLS players. In line with GBE’s announcement, MLS was promoted from a Band 4 league to Band 3, bringing it in line with the Brazilian Serie A, Argentina’s Primera Division, Liga MX and the Scottish Premiership. In practice, this means that MLS players now accumulate more points on the GBE scale based on the league they come from, further encouraging English clubs to scout the league with more intent.
For Zanotta, the prospect of developing domestic and international players in America before sending them to England is the positive side of a double-edged sword.
“This is my fifth season here at FC Dallas and working in MLS, and I can see a really big change in the perception of agents and players in MLS and how they can see it as a very good next step . I’m talking about the young players from South America, especially,” said Zanotta. “FC Dallas has a record that is the best in the league in developing players from the academy: we had Brian Reynolds, Ricardo Pepi and Reggie Cannon and others who made it to Europe.
“When we talk to the players we want to recruit, we say: ‘Hey, if you want to go to Europe, maybe coming here is the best way. I have spoken to many sporting directors and chief scouts from Germany and England, and there is a big cultural difference in South America. It is easier for a Brazilian or Argentinian player to adapt in Spain, Portugal or Italy, but it is more difficult in Germany or England. The culture is really different. When they come here, they can adapt to the different language and culture with an easier transition because of the weather and the style of play. And for European clubs, they have less buying risk as they have adapted to the higher intensity.
“Every time I approach a player we want to sign, I have a presentation about the project we have for them and how our route can help them if their goal is to go to Europe. For me, it’s a very, very good path and the players can achieve their goals by coming here.”
So while MLS clubs will inevitably lose targets with the prospect of playing in England proving too tempting for many players to turn down, changes to work permit restrictions should lead to a more direct route to England’s top two leagues for American talent. There will be opportunities lost and opportunities gained for MLS as Premier League clubs prepare to turn their attention to the United States, but the USMNT will benefit the most. With a clear path to England, expect to see future US internationals signing for Champions League and Premier League clubs more often and at a younger age in the near future.
(Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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