Ahead of the 2019 MLS Cup on Sunday (3 pm ET on ABC, Univision, TUDN in US; TSN, TVAS in Canada), The Guardian has touched based with a handful of European-based players to discuss their decision to jump across the pond.
They touched on a whole range of topics, though Michael Mancienne’s remarks certainly stood out. The center back, a veteran of the Premier League and Bundesliga, noted how he’s been pleasantly surprised by the level of play since joining the New England Revolution two summers ago.
“I feel like people think it’s not the best league – they underestimate it,” Mancienne told The Guardian. “I’ll be honest, I did as well before I came over. But the standard is really, really good. There are a lot of good players in the league and a lot of good teams.”
“I think some of the better teams could be in the Premier League but I don’t think they’d be a top-six team or anything like that," Mancienne said when asked how MLS teams would fare in England. "I think mid-to-bottom table. There is a lot of quality here. There are a lot of South American players I’d never even heard of before I came here who are really good players.”
The larger point of the story is that not every player who comes over from Europe is a world superstar. For every Wayne Rooney or Zlatan Ibrahimovic, there’s someone like FC Dallas defender Reto Ziegler or Real Salt Lake defender Nedum Onuoha. They're quality players who view MLS as an important destination in their career, even if their name recognition doesn't as vast of a reach.
Ziegler even feels MLS teams would challenge for the title in his native Switzerland. Before heading to Dallas, he spent three years suiting up for Swiss sides and FC Scion.
“They would fight with Young Boys and Basel for the Championship, for sure,” Ziegler told The Guardian. “It’s not easy to play here. If you come here thinking you’re going on a vacation, you’re making a big mistake. You have to deserve your spot, week in, week out.”
For more from Mancienne, Ziegler and other MLS players from Europe, be sure to check out the full story here.
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