It’s a good time to be involved in soccer in the United States (and before you scoff, the etymology of the word is British, not American).

In July a record 24.3million American viewers watched the World Cup final between Holland and Spain (the previous record was set only two weeks before when USA faced Ghana in the last 16). Then, following the tournament, an array of big-name players arrived on American shores to play for various Major League Soccer (MLS) sides: Thierry Henry, Rafael Marquez, Nery Castillo, Alvaro Fernandez, Blaise N’Kufo and even Rooney (John Rooney, the brother of the Manchester United striker, is on trial at Seattle Sounders).

Cynics may point out that this list of big names is another step in the MLS reverting back to the financially reckless behaviour of its predecessor, the North American Soccer League (NASL), which ran from 1968 to 1984 and allowed players such as Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Carlos Alberto and George Best to earn large sums in the twilight of their glittering careers for sides such as the Washington Diplomats and the New York Cosmos. But the MLS, formed in 1996, is very unlikely to become a retirement home for Europe’s best footballers due to the requirement for all franchises to have their own youth development initiatives. To read more, go to Spiked.