Why MLS remains the key to the US’s future soccer success

Big-name stars new to MLS like Gareth Bale get all the attention, but the league’s ability to develop American talent is why you should be watching.  

A walk around Chicago can reveal several things. It’s a city that has some amazing architecture, many great restaurants and a very proud Polish community. Located on the city’s northwest side, it is the home to one of the largest Polish communities in the country. It’s a place where you’ll have no problem finding red-and-white Polish flags waving alongside American ones.

It’s also a place where people love to talk soccer. Excitement about both the US and Poland playing at the upcoming World Cup is palpable, even though we are still a few months out before the tournament will be played. It’s no surprise that US coach Gregg Berhalter got a hero’s welcome when he threw out the first pitch last month at Wrigley Field.

The city’s sports landscape is also a reminder of the US’s many soccer allegiances. Not just limited to club teams, this remains a nation of immigrants and that often means National Team players were born elsewhere or are born here but can also represent the country of their parents or grandparents birth.

The Chicago area is also home to Fire goalkeeper Gabriel “Gaga” Slonina, born in the northern suburb of Addison. The 18-year-old Slonina is of Polish descent and a dual national. Although he could have played for the country of his heritage, Slonina recently chose the US.

Slonina may be the latest in a long line of players with American hearts who could have played for another nation — but he’s also a wonderful example of how this country can develop talent when just a few decades ago it was reliant on having to naturalize players. For example, the US’s Under-20 team, who recently qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics, featured 17 MLS players out of a roster of 20.

And like many MLS alums, Slonina could end up in Europe in the not-so-distant future. Over 200 players with two passports (and therefore the chance to play for a different National Team other than the United States) have represented the National Team over the decades. American soccer is unique in that so many players can shun a USMNT call-up and choose to play for another country.

Slonina has not. It’s also true that MLS, often maligned by fans in this country who would prefer to watch the English Premier League or Germany’s Bundesliga, are missing out on the stars of tomorrow. While it’s also true that splashy signings like Real Madrid striker Gareth Bale and Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini both going to Los Angeles FC get loads of attention, it’s players like Slonina who could someday lead the United States to international glory.

Janusz Michallik, a former US defender who was also born in Poland, said Slonina’s decision “was the right thing to do at the end of the day.”

Michallik did not develop as a player in the United States. He moved here at age 16 after his father Krystian, a Poland international, signed with the NASL’s Hartford Bicentennials.

Nearly four decades later, Michallik said the US is “more of a soccer country than when I was playing” and most of that is because of MLS.

Through the creation of academies, MLS has been able to nurture talent. When Michallik was playing, he was signed to a National Team contract by US Soccer since so few Americans at the time were tied to pro clubs prior to the launch of MLS in 1996. An American playing abroad was even rarer in those days.

Michallik said the US still has a long way to go in terms of player development compared to Europe or South America, but that things are far more professional now compared to when he first started.

“We have lots of players in Europe now and MLS is only 26years old compared to leagues in Europe that are over 100,” Michallik said. “That’s a good sign.”

Speaking of his own time as a player, Michallik, who played for the junior Polish National Team, called his time for the USMNT “a great, great journey” and highlighted by winning the 1991 Gold Cup under coach Bora Milutinovic.

Another former player who was developed abroad but played for the US at the 1994 and ‘98 World Cups is Thomas Dooley. The USMNT roster at USA ‘94, for example, featured several other players born abroad, including defender Fernando Clavijo (Uruguay), midfielders Tab Ramos (Uruguay) and Hugo Perez (El Salvador), along with strikers Earnie Stewart (Netherlands), Roy Wegerle (South Africa) and Frank Klopas (Greece).

Dooley was born in Germany and had an American father. As a result, he automatically qualified for a US passport and brought his Bundesliga experience to the National Team.

Dooley, a Bundesliga veteran, did something unheard of today. He recalled that it was in 1992 when he traveled to Chicago, where US Soccer is headquartered, to pick up his new passport so he could join the USMNT’s training camp.

“The feelings were indescribable and funny. I couldn’t speak a word of English,” he said. “I lifted up the passport on the plane and said to myself, I am officially one of you but can’t speak a word.”

Dooley, who now serves as head coach of The Philippines, learned English and earned 81 caps for the US. When not coaching at international level, Dooley has also put together a series of online training videos for young players in order to help them develop into pros.

As for Michallik, he would go on to amass 44 caps and play for the Columbus Crew in 1996. Michallik and Dooley would play together with the Crew during the 1997 season.

“In addition to the World Cup, MLS provided that boost as well,” Michallik said when asked about what helped spur soccer’s popularity in the ‘90s. “We were skeptical at the time that MLS could succeed. I had been a part of so many smaller leagues that had failed. It’s this growth and evolution that has helped.”