Ageing stars are still vital to MLS despite ‘retirement league’ barbs

LA Galaxy. The name alone demands stars. The identity of that city followed by that team name – one that is part of soccer’s galácticos lexicon – suggests a certain kind of franchise with a star player. Usually in the twilight of their careers, the arrival of these players in Major League Soccer attracts barbs as well as buzz.

The criticism typically brands MLS as a “retirement league,” but as 35-year-old Marco Reus became the latest Hollywood signing to land in LA with the Galaxy it is evident that marquee signings are still an important part of American soccer.

Along with other savvy and ambitious clubs, the team that once signed bona fide galáctico David Beckham as the league’s first Designated Player (DP) in 2007 is embarking on a new era – one where ageing veterans complement a roster rather than define it. Reus may be LA Galaxy’s most high-profile player, but he will not necessarily be their best. He’s not even a DP, having been signed using Targeted Allocation Money.

Olivier Giroud was another statement addition signed during the league’s mid-season break. He will turn 38 before the 2024 season finishes, and joins fellow French veteran Hugo Lloris, 37, at Los Angeles FC.

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US soccer has long been an attractive pre-retirement option for players who have made their name elsewhere. Not only is there decent money on offer, but US and Canadian cities can be a draw for players looking to wind down their career in a different, potentially more glamorous setting.

“I would love to say the sole reason Marco Reus is here is owed to my skill as a sporting director, but the reality is that the city of Los Angeles sells itself,” says LA Galaxy general manager, Will Kuntz. “The same thing can be said for Miami, New York or Chicago, for example. There are a lot of American markets that have huge, global recognition. But it’s also about the idea that you can come to a place like Los Angeles and still be recognized for your success, right?”

Although the retirement league label is used in a derogatory fashion, such marquee signings, especially as part of a wider plan, still have a place in North American soccer. Along with the arrivals of Beckham and Lionel Messi, Pelé’s presence at NASL side New York Cosmos in the 1970s remains one of the biggest moments in US soccer . It is one of the reasons the Cosmos name resonates to this day despite the NASL’s demise and the team’s indefinite hiatus.

Whether the sport and the leagues took advantage of these moments for the wider development of the game and its long-term growth in the region can be debated, but there is no doubt that such players have the potential to provide a huge boost to the teams they join, and to soccer as a whole.

Sometimes the reality doesn’t always live up to the hype. MLS can be a grueling league in which to play, with lots of travel and unforgiving opponents, so the ageing star needs to arrive with the right attitude if they are to be recognized as a success.

“In the case of Marco, what we’re most excited about is what we know about the way he approaches training every day,” adds Kuntz. “That consistent drive to get better and to always be at his absolute best is also infectious. In some cases, players who have a bigger reputation have the ability to soak up or absorb some of the external pressure – whether that’s supporter pressure or media pressure – and help to ease the collective burden of the group. I think there’s value in that.”

LA Galaxy’s standout players in a promising 2024 season that has seen them climb to the top of the Western Conference include Riqui Puig (25 years old), Gabriel Pec (23), and Joseph Paintsil (26). These are players in their peak years, operating at a level that wouldn’t look out of place in Uefa competition. It demonstrates a varied recruitment strategy that includes signing potential stars from South America as Young DPs (Pec) but also looks out for peak-age DPs from Europe (Puig and Paintsil).

“It’s something I don’t think was prevalent or even possible when I first came to the league about 10 years ago,” Kuntz says of such signings.

New York City FC have previously hosted Frank Lampard and Andrea Pirlo, but more recently have moved away from end-of-career signings. Is this an intentional change in strategy, or have the right players just not been available?

“I think there is still a place for it,” New York City’s sporting director David Lee says of signing older star players. “I think the key is making sure the player is right, on and off the pitch. We’ve seen examples in MLS where it works well and we’ve seen examples where it hasn’t.

“If you look at LA Galaxy over the last few years, their DP recruitment has been focused on trying to sign players they believe could help them on the pitch but also bring name recognition. In the [2024] offseason, they went in a different direction and you see the dramatic improvement in their performance levels.

“I do think there is a place for an older traditional style DP but it has to be the right one, and I think it is harder to find the right one and easier to find the wrong one. If my goal is to try and bring as many trophies as I possibly can, I’m going to look through every decision on players through that lens. I do think that could involve a bigger name DP at some point, but I don’t think it necessarily has to.”

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New York City didn’t join the LA clubs in signing such a player in the recent transfer window, but Lee thinks they still have value and expressed similar sentiments to Kuntz on broader, more open-minded thinking when it comes to recruitment. Soccer supporters value star quality however it manifests. One of the most heralded New York City players of recent times is Taty Castellanos, who came through the City Football Group system, achieving success with NYC before being sold to Lazio. Pec could well follow a similar path with the Galaxy.

Kuntz described Reus as having “gravitas” alongside experience, and such attributes are still useful to American soccer. As for it being a retirement league, every league signs such players, even those in Europe. Barcelona’s starting center-forward is 36-year-old Robert Lewandowski, Manchester City recently re-signed İlkay Gündoğan (33) and one of the best players in the Bundesliga last season was a 30-year-old Harry Kane at Bayern Munich.

If older marquee signings are part of a wider plan, rather than just a punt taken for the sake of acquiring a big name, they should be embraced as part of the ongoing story of the American soccer universe.