Overview
- In a new interview published March 6, Rossi, now vice-chairman and head of soccer at the New York Cosmos, said MLS should move away from relying on marquee imports and prioritize youth development as the Lionel Messi era winds down.
- Rossi argued that “real football is played in Europe” and maintained that elite Americans such as Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie will keep building careers overseas.
- He criticized MLS’s single-entity model and salary caps as a top‑down system that he believes fails to attract and keep young players in their prime.
- Coverage notes that many USMNT mainstays, including Pulisic, McKennie, Folarin Balogun, and Antonee Robinson, are already established in top European leagues ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
- Reports acknowledge MLS efforts to become more appealing—such as shifting the calendar toward European alignment—while questioning whether reforms can overcome deeper structural limits.