Former Premier League stars from Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal are among those succeeding in the MLS.
Whether it’s a swansong for a player in his mid-30s or an opportunity to restart a promising career that had stagnated in its early stages, Major League Soccer has long provided a home for footballers making the transatlantic journey from Europe.
Lionel Messi is a prime example of the former kind. However, numerous players who formerly played in England’s top flight have found success in the United States.
Here are six former Premier League players that are currently thriving in Major League Soccer.
Luis Suarez, a former Liverpool and Barcelona striker, has already contributed significantly to Inter Miami’s success, scoring four goals and giving five assists in six games.
The 37-year-old has joined former Camp Nou teammates Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba at Chase Stadium, as the David Beckham-owned club aims to dominate US soccer in the same way that their aging legends once ruled La Liga.
Following a season with Gremio in which he was voted Brazil’s Player of the Year after scoring 17 goals in 33 games, Suarez continues to defy the ravages of age and knee degradation to demonstrate that he can still produce at nearly unrivaled levels.
Christian Benteke
Benteke joined DC United in the middle of the 2022 MLS season, and the former Crystal Palace and Aston Villa striker had a sluggish start in the States, scoring only once in his first seven appearances.
In his first full season in the US, the 33-year-old scored 14 goals in 31 league appearances, earning him a position on the MLS All-Star Team.
Benteke has only made one game for DC this season due to injury, but with a hat-trick against the New England Revolution, he shown that he is ready to carry on the momentum he established with his 2023 exploits.
Carlos Gil
Next up is another former Aston Villa player, albeit one who had far less of an impact on the West Midlands than Benteke.
Gil, a Spanish winger, arrived at Villa Park from Valencia in January 2015 with great aspirations. However, he only played 34 games for the team over the next two and a half years.
His first complete season with the Villa first squad saw the club relegated to the Championship. After returning to Spain on loan with Deportivo La Coruna, he was sold to the New England Revolution in 2019.
In MLS, however, Gil took off. He scored ten goals in his debut season with the Revolution and was voted MLS Newcomer of the Year. He has won one league MVP award, been nominated to the MLS Best XI, and helped New England win the Supporters’ Shield (the award for the best regular-season record) in 2021.
Cucho Hernandez
Hernandez, like Gil, only competed in the Premier League for one full season. Similarly to Gil, his club, Watford, was relegated to the Championship at the end of the season.
Hernandez, a 24-year-old Colombian striker, demonstrated his talent in loan transfers away from Vicarage Road, including a period with Huesca in Spain’s second tier, where he scored 16 goals in 36 games. Since his debut in MLS in 2022, he has been spectacular.
Last season, he scored 22 goals in 34 games to lead the Columbus Crew to the MLS Cup. He has also had a promising start to the new season, scoring twice in three games. If his form remains consistent, he will undoubtedly return to Europe for a hefty payday.
MEANWHILE, six USMNT players are expected to depart this summer, including a Barcelona misfit and the replacement for Ivan Toney.
Matthew Miazga
United States international Miazga spent six and a half years with Chelsea, however he only appeared twice in the Premier League. After a series of loans to Vitesse, Nantes, Reading, Anderlecht, and Alaves, he returned to MLS with FC Cincinnati permanently in 2022.
Prior to joining Chelsea as a teenager, the imposing centre-back had previously won the Supporters’ Shield with the New York Red Bulls. And in his first full season back in his homeland, he replicated the feat, helping Cincinnati win the regular-season championship and earning MLS Defender of the Year honors.
The hot-headed USMNT player began the 2024 season with a suspension, imposed after he was deemed to have violently assaulted match officials following a playoff game against the Red Bulls in November.
Carlos Vela
Vela’s European football career is best recognized for his six and a half seasons with Real Sociedad, during which he scored 61 goals in 213 games, rather than his 64 appearances over three years with Arsenal.
Vela, however, will be remembered as a legend in Major League Soccer. The Mexican forward joined the fledgling LAFC in 2018 and made an immediate impact, scoring 15 goals in 31 appearances in his first season with the expansion team.
During his six-year time in Los Angeles, he played 187 games, scored 93 goals, won two Supporters’ Shields, an MLS Cup, and was named MLS MVP.
The 35-year-old is currently a free agent after his contract with LAFC terminated at the end of the previous season. According to reports, the team hopes to re-sign the experienced striker. Regardless matter what happens next, Vela will be remembered as one of the finest players in MLS history.
