From world-class full backs to some of the game's most promising young strikers, MLS has developed excellent prospects
More talent is coming out of MLS every year. For a long time, the league was regarded as a place for the best of college soccer, and a handful of Europeans who were coming toward the end of their careers. These days, the reality is different. Now, MLS is a starting point for some of the best in the world.
And even more encouraging for the state of soccer in the United States is where, exactly some of these guys are coming from. These days, MLS academies consistently find, develop, and then sell top tier talent that can play not only in America but also worldwide. It's a sound business model, one that can lead to domestic success and – if done right – solid financial return.
Names such as Alphonso Davies, Ricardo Pepi and Tyler Adams – all of whom have become established internationals – started in MLS academies. Cavan Sullivan might be next. But who else can be considered part of America's elite? GOAL ranks the best homegrown transfers to come out of MLS.
Getty Images9Julian Araujo, LA Galaxy to Barcelona, 2023, $4M
Well, Araujo hasn't exactly become a superstar. It's debatable whether he ever really could be. But after a few good seasons for an admittedly pretty bad LA Galaxy side, his club cashed in for a tidy $4m to send the full back to Europe. In a vacuum, it made some sense. The money, plus a reported sell-on clause, could only help a Galaxy side that wasn't really going anywhere.
Araujo, of course, jumped at the opportunity, and is now a fringe player for Bournemouth after signing a five-year deal last summer. Perhaps manager Andoni Iraola sees a future for him there. Maybe he should have made his Las Palmas loan deal permanent in 2023. Either way, at 23, there's a lot of football left to be played.
AdvertisementAFP8Gaga Slonina, Chicago Fire to Chelsea, 2022, $10M
Slonina was certainly a talent when free-spending Chelsea snapped him up in 2022. But it also seemed an odd deal at the time. Slonina needed to develop, and MLS was a good forum for him to do so. Still, eight figures proved an offer too good to turn down for the Fire at the time – a new transfer record for the club.
For Slonina, things have been admittedly mixed. He has yet to make a first team appearance, while a disappointing loan move to Barnsley fell apart in late December. He will now be in search of a new club, where his career can get back on track.
Getty7Caleb Wiley, Atlanta United to Chelsea, 2024, $11M
Atlanta must have been laughing. Sure, they lost three top talents in the summer of 2024, but they also made massive profits, made MLS playoffs, before springing one of the great upsets in league history by beating Inter Miami in the first round.
Wiley, although he doesn't have the appeal of Thiago Almada, might have actually been the best of the three. A high-potential left back on the fringes of the USMNT, he shouldn't be too far away from playing in England's top flight. He excelled at the Oympics, and although a shoulder operation has derailed his progress, a promising start at Strasbourg showed his potential. Watch this space.
Getty Images Sport6Chris Richards, FC Dallas to Bayern Munich, 2022, $1M
Surely, Dallas could have gotten more out of Bayern, right? Well, the original fee doesn't say much, but the sneaky sell on clause worked a charm. Richards is, of course, a Premier League level center back at his best, and should he put it all together, a crucial part of the USMNT going forward. perhaps a move to Europe was slightly too early for the American, but a decent loan at Hoffenheim and subsequent breakout year for Palace last season did enough to justify his graduation from MLS.
And for Dallas, who could net up to $5m for one of their own from Richards transfer from Bayern to Palace, it now looks like a pretty good piece of business. All Richards needs to do now is find a little more consistency for the London club.
