Princes of Persia

6:39 PM Unknown 0 Comments

For those of you don't know, I am a first-generation American with Iranian parents. So naturally, I keep very much up-to-date with my Iran's national football team (more affectionately known as "Team Melli"). With the next round of World Cup qualifying coming up in Asia, head coach Carlos Queiroz released the latest 23-man squad that will face the intimidating world footballing powers of Guam and India next month.

This news made me think: How are some of the Team Melli players doing in their domestic leagues? Let me give you an update on a few of the more notable ones.

Ashkan Dejagah:



After last year's World Cup, the talented winger signed a big-money contract with Al-Arabi of the Qatar Stars League, becoming one of many Asian footballers to make the transition to the relatively new league. Dejagah played in 24 of his team's 26 games last season, scoring five goals as his club finished in 8th place. He remains one of the national team's best players, and should almost definitely feature in the 2018 World Cup, should Iran qualify.

Saeid Ezatolahi:



Team Melli has a surprising number of young, technically-skilled players for a team mostly known for its veteran leadership and brute strength. This is one of those players. A true central midfielder like Iran hasn't seen since Ali Karimi (his favorite player), Ezatolahi signed a contract with Spanish giants Atletico de Madrid at just 16 years of age. Now approaching his 19th birthday, he has just signed a four-year deal at FK Rostov in Russia, where he will join his compatriot Sardar Azmoun (discussed below) and should get plenty of playing time.

Morteza Pouraliganji:



A country renowned for its wrestlers and weightlifters has to have some strong and intimidating defenders, no? At just 23 years of age, Pouraliganji is ahead of his time. Just recently called up to the national team after the 2014 World Cup, he has already made an impact both in World Cup qualifying and the AFC Asian Cup. Even better yet, he's currently the star defender for Chinese Super League team Tianjin Teda, having started every game since he's been at the club. A young defender getting regular first-team minutes in a rapidly-growing league is just what Team Melli needs.

Sardar Azmoun:



In my opinion, this is the country's most prolific goalscorer. Azmoun is barely 20 years of age, and has already shown glimpses of brilliance that have justified his nickname of "Iranian Messi." Last season he was loaned to Russian Premier League side FK Rostov halfway through the campaign and became an integral part of their survival in the league; he had his best game for the club against CSKA Moscow, a game in which his goal earned his team a crucial point required to stay up. This year, he will be on loan at Rostov once again, where he can hopefully nail down his place as one of the Russian League's key players.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh:



I saved the best for last - Jahanbakhsh is maybe the player with the most potential the country has ever seen. Having just turned 22, he was awarded the Player of the Season in the Dutch Second Division, scoring 12 goals and notching 18 assists as he led his club NEC to promotion. He was further rewarded with a transfer to Dutch powerhouse AZ Alkmaar, where he should continue his development into one of the best players the continent of Asia has seen for many years. I'm incredibly excited about this one.

Recap:

It's looking to be a bit of a golden age for Iranian football at the moment. With an experienced team of talented veterans, two legitimate attacking threats that combine to be only 42 years old, a teenage central midfielder who models himself after a national hero, and a strong central defender to provide some backbone to the team, it would not be surprising to see Team Melli become the undisputed best team in the Asian region.

But the question remains: Can they carry this momentum all the way to Russia in 2018?

Thank you for reading!

Major League Signings

10:17 AM Unknown 0 Comments

Trying to build on the soccer mania from the 1994 World Cup, Major League Soccer was founded, with its inaugural season in 1996. It was not a league that was highly-regarded or predicted to last, especially after so many failed attempts at professional soccer leagues in the US. Even older leagues that had the power to attract world-class players like Pelé still went under after just a few years.

Almost 20 years into this project, though, there is no sense of decline or failure. MLS is constantly growing in terms of revenues, attendance, star power, and (I would argue) quality of play. So how did a league with such humble beginnings manage to work its way into the American sporting landscape?

It is not outlandish for me to claim that we owe an immeasurable amount to David Beckham. After 11 years of relative stagnancy, MLS had finally acquired their ticket to glory when Becks announced his move to the LA Galaxy in early 2007. Like Pelé before him, he had the popularity to single-handedly fill up a stadium, and also had the ability to produce on the field. However, the old NASL was also thriving until Pelé retired, and MLS had to make sure that that sharp decline wouldn't be repeated upon Beckham's future departure.

Social media is the sole reason MLS was able to follow up on the Beckham signing with the acquisition of other top Designated Players. While players like Pelé were world-class, that time period did not allow for the rest of the world to see the daily goings-on of a soccer star in America. As soon as David Beckham came to the US, every moment was chronicled online, and that made the difference. Suddenly, big-name players everywhere could the amazing treatment he was receiving, all of the great adventures he was having, and how much fun living/playing in America was to him. MLS was receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews from its most famous player, and the rest of the world was taking note.

Each passing year since Beckham's arrival, the league has grown through both new DP signings and the introduction of new expansion teams (it is a really great business idea to add expansion teams, as their attendance statistics are always spectacular). The 2014 season saw record-breaking attendance numbers across the league, and those numbers don't appear to be slowing down this season. But to many fans, the attendance figures don't matter when looking at MLS's global reputation. Many doubters argue that it is not helping the league to sign DPs that are older or past their prime. There is something to be said for this, as many consider MLS to be a retirement league, where famous players go to collect their last few paychecks and enjoy a more relaxed playing environment. However, I think the league is getting better and better at working past this reputation.

Upon this year's signing of Sebastian Giovinco, a 27-year-old attacker who regularly appears for the Italian national team, Toronto FC proved that players are truly interested in joining MLS regardless of their age or current career situations. His acquisition was a huge victory for the league, but we also should be aware of the benefit of having the slightly older DPs, too.

Brazilian legend Kaká, for example, is kind of turning out to be the new Beckham. In addition to his uncanny ability to bring out a crowd, he has been all over social media showing his love for Orlando City (his club) and the league in general. If you knew nothing at all about MLS, you could learn how great of a league it is becoming solely through the Facebook/Twitter accounts of players like Kaká, Frank Lampard, and Steven Gerrard.

Nineteen years after its inception, America's premier soccer league continues to thrive. Coming off a July in which household names Andrea Pirlo, Giovani dos Santos, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Didier Drogba (pictured below) all arrived at their new MLS clubs, the league continues to flex its muscles with a mix of older and younger DPs.

World-class players continue to be attracted to plying their trade in America. While they may be coming at different points in their careers, one thing is certain: The sky is the limit for MLS.

Didier Drogba, Chelsea FC legend, is the league's newest DP.