Let me state the obvious: Neymar is a player that could change MLS and certainly could be the world’s best player in two or three years. Let’s take a look at his magical goal against Flamengo:
We all know that no MLS team is going to drop $60 million for this once in a lifetime player. It would be great if that was the case. Remember it took a bold move (and another and another) by the New York Cosmos to change the American soccer scene over three decades ago.
There are several other players that could make an immediate impact on an MLS budget, which is a more realistic scenario to say the least. These players won’t sell tickets by name alone, but would improve the quality of play and provide some excitement.
F Yosniel Mesa – Mesa, who plays for Cuban side Cienfuegos, defected from Cuba during the CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer. Cuban defectors are usually on the baseball side, but this striker could find his way onto an MLS roster. He has already trained with the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers (NASL) and has been most recently limked with the Portland Timbers.
F Garra Dembele – This Mali striker was the leading scorer in Bulgaria with Levski Sofia last season before being sold to German side Freiburg. Dembele scored an unheard of 34 goals, including 26 goals in 24 league matches. This goal spree included four hat tricks. Freiburg spent €2m for the French-born forward who has had some disciplinary problems over the years, but also has experience in France, Greece, and Denmark to his credit.
M Sammir – Another potential bad boy comes in with Brazilian midfielder Sammir, who has recently expressed interest in playing for the Croatian national team. The Dinamo Zagreb star has scored 42 goals in 188 appearances after arriving from Brazil’s Atlético Paranaense.
M Petar Grbic – The quality of play in Montenegro certainly is not up to par with England or Spain, but Grbic was dominant to the point that he earned a €1m transfer to Greek superclub Olympiakos after leading Mogren to the title last season.
F Marcos Tavares – Yet another Brazilian makes our shortlist. Tavares is a star in Slovenia, having led their top-flight with 16 goals last season. The Maribor captain has experience in Cyprus and Malaysia as well as back home in Brazil. He has become a fan favorite and will be linking up with teammate 19 year-old Robert Beric this fall to form one of Europe’s most potent attacks.
F Filip Sebo – Sebo is best described as an enigmatic scorer with vast European experience. He has spent time with Austria Vienna, Rangers, and Valenciennes before leading Slovakia’s first division with 22 goals in 23 games. That’s almost a goal a game, which is why he was once a target by EPL powerhouse Chelsea.
F Dame N’Doye – Senegal has produced some great attacking players and N’Doye is no exception. He was the Danish Superleague’s top scorer in 10/11 and performed well even on Europe’s biggest stage, the UEFA Champions League. 25 goals in 30 matches was enough to draw interest from PSV Eindhoven so MLS clubs would have to move quick.
We should have more names and ideas as many leagues begin their seasons in the coming weeks. MLS needs to get better and this means becoming active in the international transfer market.
