Jim Curtin believes MLS can be a 'top league' in the world by 2026
By Chris Smith
Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin has made the bold claim that Major League Soccer could be a 'top league' in the world by 2026.
MLS has undergone a period of rapid improvement over the last few years, with more and more young stars heading to the league from South America, while some of Europe's biggest clubs have begun shopping for players Stateside.
The likes of Atlanta United and Seattle Sounders attract huge crowds, while Charlotte FC broke the MLS single-game attendance record in their first-ever home match back in March.
Soccer is expected to experience a boom in North America as the United States, Canada, and Mexico prepare to co-host the 2026 World Cup. Speaking to reporters ahead of his side's MLS Cup tie against LAFC, Union boss Curtin sees no reason why the league cannot rise above the rest before then.
"The stadiums, the facilities, the players that are coming here, the coaches that are coming here, why is it so crazy that by 2026 this isn't a top league in the world?" Curtin told ESPN's Herculez Gomez, adding: "I'm going to be the guy that's going to get in trouble for saying this, but what if this is the league?"
Jim Curtin labels Carlos Vela 'unstoppable'
Focussing on the more immediate future, one of the questions Curtin must answer if his Union side is to lift MLS Cup is how to stop LAFC star, Carlos Vela.
The former Mexico international isn't the all-conquering, goalscoring machine he was in 2019, but still notched 12 goals and nine primary assists during the regular season, while also providing an assist in each of LAFC's Playoffs victories so far.
In fact, so dangerous and central is Vela to everything the Black and Gold do, Curtin believes it's an unanswerable question.
"The answer to how do you stop Carlos Vela is: You don't, he's not stoppable," he said.
"What you can do with a player that is that talented is you can try to control where he touches the ball in the field. Can you make him play square and backwards? Because when Carlos faces you up and plays forward and gets on that left foot, the party's over."
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