Major League Soccer needs to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic. There is no question--this needs to happen.
If Qatar can get the world cup, the MLS can get Ibra.
If Leicester City can win the Prem, the MLS can get Ibra.
If Donald Trump can run for president, the MLS can get Ibra.
This needs to happen.
As a one-time fringe-fan of soccer, I paid little to no attention to the MLS. It was buschleague. It was lower-tier. That all changed one day when a dulcet-voiced man-dime by the name of David Beckham decided to leave one of the biggest clubs in the world to bequeath his awesome to the US soccer scene. It-made-me-pay-attention.
Now to be fair, Ibrahimovic does not have the same level of star power that comes along with a Beckham. My girlfriend surely knew who Beckham was, and I have no doubt that the words "Zlah-tan e-BRO-heem-o-vich" would convince her I speak a second language or just confuse the hell out of her. Beckham's star shined far beyond the futbol pitch. Ibra's power doesn't resonate as far in the states. But that still doesn't mean that the MLS shouldn't be sending the finest Swedish chocolates to Zlats' doorstep(s) on the daily. Here is why...
The MLS is commonly referred to (in my domicile) as the "No-Defense-League" or "NDL." Yes, MLS defenders are talented in their own right, but let's be honest, how many designated players in the MLS are pure defenders? The talent is noticably skewed towards the other end of the pitch.
Why is this important? Well, I'm trying to explain that. If Ibra can score 38 goals in Ligue 1 this past season, he could probably triple that if playing in the We-Don't-Like-to-Spend-a-lot-on-Defenders-League. Someone like Beckham was brought it to contribute, but the majority of that work was meant to be done mostly off the field. Ibra could contribute in the same way but do so via highlight reels.
Imagine Zlatan muscling around defenses, heading everything in his direction, dropping bombs, and bicylcle kicking his way into ESPN top-tens. Soccer-fringe fans and fickle American sports enthusiats who could never enjoy 0-0 matches regardless of the level of play, would be delighted with the abuse Ibra could dish out on a weekly basis. He would put balls in nets and butts in seats. Weird sentence.
The Swede would be the greatest designated player signing of all time. The current crop of DPs just isn't cutting it from the "wow" factor perspective.
Sure, David Vila, a.k.a. NYCFC, is still phenomenal, but the Swede would blow him out of the water. Adrea Pirlo is great to have around, but could never make the same impact off of the field than he could on it. Frank Lampard...wait...I don't think he is actually in the MLS yet. Is he? Giovinco is great but will never grab the attention of the fringe. Kaka's skills are being wasted away in Orlando. Even the US Men's National team DP's aren't enough to capture the "I only watch the World Cup" crowd in its entirety. The MLS needs a rockstar.
Of course because I dished out $80 for the MLS League Pass, I'm a tad bias. I want all of the stars to come play in the United States. Seeing Ibrahimovic go anywhere else would break my littler heart. The only Premiere League team I would want to see him to go would be, of course, Manchester City or Leister City, who I've been a huge fan of since September 2015. Seeing him go to rumored Manchester United or Arsenal would just bum me out. Even worse, seeing him become the next victim of the Chinese Super League spending spree would be equally as lame.
I'm not sure I care where he would end up, but I would prefer it not be the LA Galaxy. It makes sense why they want him, but they're already three DP's deep and have an otherwise already well-rounded roster. If the MLS was smart (or has any control over it) they would place Zlatan on a team in need of star-power. European stars on MLS teams make them worth watching. Did I give two shits about the Montreal Impact before Didier Drogba showed up? No. There were no shits given. But now that he is playing in Canada, I'm intrigued and tend to tune into games.
I don't have a clue where he would interested in playing if given his choice of MLS teams. All I know is that it would be most interesting if he played for a team that was already talented but was short on star power--the former champion Portland Timbers would make for a most intriguing landing spot.
To try and guess where he might land in the MLS is somewhat idiotic considering he hasn't made the decision to come here just yet, but it's fun to think about. Time will tell whether he chooses the States, but this is one non-fringe United States born soccer fan that sure would enjoy it.
Come to the US Ibra.
Destroy shit.
I'd be tuning in.
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