As I'm sure anyone who might read this blog knows, the MLS combine is currently taking place in Florida. The combine will be followed by the MLS Superdraft, which takes place in St. Louis on January 15th. It seems the timing is right to take a look at the way domestic players end up with MLS teams and what changes might be coming or might be necessary.

For each of the "Big Four" professional sports in the United States (and in three cases, Canada), there remains little competition when it comes to signing players. The NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball are each the undisputed top league in their respective sports. American sports leagues have the deepest pockets and the biggest stages, and players dream of playing here. MLS does not have this luxury. Competition for players is fierce, the pockets of MLS teams are limited, and very rarely do players aspire to play in a second-rate league in a country that largely ignores both the league and the game itself.

For the Big Four, drafts have become the law of the land. The draft spreads out the best talent in a way that helps poor teams improve (theoretically) and parity reign. Parity is seen as a key to the success of the NFL, and other major sports leagues either strive for parity give it lip service. MLS has followed this model, using the draft to disseminate college talent through the league without salaries skyrocketing due to teams bidding against each other for these young domestic players.

The draft is part of the larger MLS structure, which includes player allocation, the salary cap, and centrally controlled contracts. If the MLS is to compete on a global (or even continental) level as a serious league, the draft will need to fade away. The existence of the college soccer system has been a boon to the early years of the MLS, as teams have not had to invest heavily in youth systems to find capable domestic players. However, this is a situation that cannot be allowed to continue if MLS is to take the next step. Teams must now invest in youth systems and the league must throw away the crutch of the draft if the league is to grow and the quality of play is to improve.

College soccer is a fine place for the marginal talent, and will more than likely never go away completely. The system may always contribute players in some numbers to MLS. But soccer differs from other American sports, and players are often over-the-hill at thirty. American players are being handicapped by a system the refuses to develop them in a professional atmosphere at an age on par with their peers abroad.

I, just like anyone else who follows MLS, will be excited to see the young talent entering the league through the Super Draft. But I'm holding onto the hope that, sooner rather than later, the draft is no longer a circled date on the MLS calendar.