Its seems that it’s pretty final that Tottenham’s Jermain Defoe is going to make his way across the pond to play in the MLS for Toronto FC. Everyone here is looking at all of the negatives in this situation, and don’t get me wrong, for Spurs, there really isn’t much good that is going to come from this transfer. Defoe was a positive element to the side that suffered an embarrassing 6-0 defeat to Manchester City this weekend, and getting rid of one of your best players doesn’t seem like the wisest choice. But I’m going to be different, I’m going to flip this matter around and give a few reasons why it’s great that Defoe will be playing in the MLS.
For Major League Soccer as a whole it is really awesome that Defoe will be playing there. The MLS is struggling in popularity, even in the United States – European Leagues are much more popular among football fans. It’s always a great boost for the league when bigger European stars make their way over. Greats like Thierry Henry and David Beckham have both played in the MLS, Henry still does, and it’s the popularity of these players that make Americans actually want to watch.
It’s a wonderful learning experience for the younger American players in the league as well. Being able to play along side as well as against people that have so much European experience will only work out for the better. The style of play is very different, though, and anything that these young players coming to the MLS from playing for their college team is a huge positive.
The move will be great for Defoe himself, as well. He is 31 after all, not a young guy in the cut-throat world of football. The pace in the MLS is not nearly as high as it is in the Premier League, and those awesome superstars like Beckham and Henry that end up there, in a way go there to retire it seems.
The season goes from the spring to the fall, there aren’t many clubs, so there as many games, and though there is a CONCACAF Champions League it isn’t nearly the same as UEFA. Defoe will still be able to play football while being able to take it easy and enjoy the game itself.
So there are positives in this situation, none for Tottenham of course, but Defoe is looking out for himself with this move and that is always a good thing.