“GOALLLLLLL!” or “GOL GOL GOL GOLLLLL!” Which is it? “Futbol” or “Football” or “Soccer” What should we call this sport? At this point, we may not know what it is, but we know we love playing and watching it.
American soccer and European soccer are both played in different continents, but they have their similarities and differences. In America, there are seven professional men’s soccer leagues. MLS, USLC, USL, MLSNP, and NISA. For women, there is the NWSL and the USLS. In Europe there are so many leagues; the main ones being The Premier League (England), Bundesliga (Germany), and La Liga (Spain). The Premier League is an English league and features at least 20 different clubs such as: Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Burnley, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, Leeds United, Fulham, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest, Everton, Sunderland, Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, and West Ham United.
The skill level of American and European soccer is completely different. American soccer is more about fitness and intimidating their opponents with speed and strength, while European soccer is more of a challenge-your-opponent type of game. Researchers from Kenyatta University state “The MLS style of play is based on high levels of physical fitness. Players enjoy dominating their opponents with their physical prowess. They excel in intimidating opponents with strength and force or outrunning them in a foot race with speed.” MLS players (Major League Soccer) are more physically involved in the sport. Instead of skill, they use their bodies and their strength to power over their opponent. As for European playing styles, the same article states “Players’ physical strength and power are frequently inferior to MLS players. However, European athletes have better overall conditioning across various physical domains, including agility, endurance, speed, and strength. These players practice these skills specifically for football. For instance, players might practice shielding and protecting the ball against various partners rather than lifting heavy weights in the gym, which helps them master their bodies.” This quote firmly states the dedication that the European players might have towards just mastering the skill without using heavy things or lifting weights. Sure, they do lift weights, just not in the same way MLS players may use them for their sport.
The top goal-scorers of all time in the UEFA Champions League, which is a tournament for European clubs, are #1 Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo with 141 goals, #2 Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi with 129 goals, #3 FC Barcelona’s Robert Lewandoski with 109 goals, #4 Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema 90 goals. The MLS all-time top scorers are #1 San Jose Earthquakes’ Chris Wondolowksi with 169 goals, #2 FC Cincinnati’s Kei Kamara with 146 goals, #3 LA Galaxy’s Landon Donovan, #4 Columbus Crew’s Jeff Cunningham who did not officially retire, but had a career ending injury and ended his career with 134 goals. In this stat sheet, the MLS has better scoring than the Champions League. If you want to look through the stat sheets yourself: MLS all time scorers, UEFA Champions League all time scorers.
Some differences between coaching and scouting in European and MLS soccer are that in America, scouts usually go to colleges and pick out the most interesting and promising players they can find, while in Europe, they focus more on young talent playing for soccer clubs. Instead of colleges, normally, soccer clubs produce most top players so it’s more young talent focused.
There are just as many similarities as there are differences. Coaches use four main pillars to evaluate players, those pillars being: physical fitness, mental or psychological strength, technical skill, and tactical skill.
I interviewed a couple of people on their view of European vs. MLS, one person being freshman at Harrison High School, Scott Nolan. He said in his opinion, MLS was more interesting and entertaining to watch than European soccer because “Players are more into it I feel like.” His favorite team in the MLS is “FC Cincinnati obviously” and his favorite players on the team or in the MLS in general are Kubo, Evander, Matt Miazga, and Sergio Santos, all of which play for the Cincinnati team. I asked another freshman at Harrison High School, Kayla Hall the same questions and she said MLS was more entertaining because it made her want to get into watching soccer more. I also asked her if she had a favorite team, her answer was “No, not yet”, then I asked her if she had a favorite player and the answer was the same “No,” but she adds on again “I do want to get into soccer more if I’m being for real. I just never have time.”
I also interviewed my stepdad who is an avid soccer enthusiast. “I’ve played soccer my whole life until I had surgery and can’t play anymore. I enjoy watching both The Premier League in Europe and the MLS, but I would have to say that I enjoy watching the MLS more. The MLS hits home more for me because Cincinnati has their own major league team. I can go to games, learn the players’ names and positions, and cheer on my favorite team in-person. The fact that my home team is my favorite team to watch makes a huge difference on which league I’d prefer to watch. The European league is equal to the MLS when it comes to the quality of the actual soccer skill played in the game, but being able to actually go see them in person makes a big difference in how much I enjoy watching them. I would likely prefer the European Premier League if I was able to watch them play in person, but because of the cost and distance to go see a European team play, I’m in favor of the MLS. The MLS has big name players in the league that always perform and put on a show just like The Premier League in Europe.”
Well, all of the people that were interviewed clearly favored the MLS instead of any European leagues, which makes MLS soccer 3-0. Though, it is worth acknowledging that any European would likely prefer their national soccer league over the American leagues. If you had the choice to go to either an American or European soccer game, what would you choose?
