Players such as Didier Drogba and Eden Hazard are part owners of teams in the States. But it’s not top-flight MLS that attracts them
For years, the foreign soccer star was a fleeting sight on American soil: they came, they partied, they played a few games and then ... they left. Now though, they’re not just passing through on an offseason Las Vegas binge or seeing out their careers in MLS. A new wave of stars are putting down roots by investing in America’s professional game.
But it’s not the top league – MLS – that they’re interested in. They’re throwing themselves into second-tier competitions such as the North American Soccer League and United Soccer League. They’re either joining fledgling, ambitious outfits, as Didier Drogba has done as a co-owner and player at Phoenix Rising FC, or creating new clubs altogether: Paolo Maldini co-founded Miami FC in 2015, while Demba Ba, Eden Hazard, Yohan Cabaye and Moussa Sow recently co-founded a San Diego club that will start play in 2018.
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