Fanshawe FC: Domestic soccer improves again

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: THE SUN UK
Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan will be playing for the U.S. and in the MLS next year, and that is a very good thing.

Domestic soccer has won plenty of battles over the past decade. Most of them were fights over proper stadiums and clubs. This summer, they've managed to win a few battles on the pitch.

The number of teams competing in Major League Soccer has nearly doubled over the past decade, with clubs building proper infrastructure along the way. They have built a product that not only the fans want to partake in, but also the players.

American Clint Dempsey had his start in MLS. He moved to England to join top-flight side Fulham shortly after (in 2006), as other clubs started to see his talent. This summer, Dempsey returned to MLS to sign with the Seattle Sounders, arguably the crown jewel of the league.

In seven years, MLS has been trying to prove its legitimacy the only way they could: upgrading what they had and hoping everything — and everyone — followed. It has been.

Clint Dempsey was playing for Tottenham Hotspur last season, a top level side in England. His career could have continued abroad, but instead he moved home with his family. Now MLS has another incredibly skilled player that will only bring more of the like to the league.

As it has been proven, you can't grow a league (or soccer culture, for that matter) on just bringing talented players in from abroad. Dempsey isn't foreign. He's a walking and talking endorsement for domestic soccer, being the best American playing in the best American league.

Another talented American player who chose the MLS was Landon Donovan. He has spent his entire career in MLS, save some loan stints at Everton in England. His contract was up at the end of the year as he was getting offers from clubs like Manchester United. Instead, he stayed with his longtime MLS club, L.A. Galaxy. Donovan has been the face of domestic soccer for as long as he's been playing pro.

These players are slowly filling the remaining void in domestic soccer. The stadiums are fantastic, the support is immense, but the quality on the field isn't there.With Dempsey and Donovan (hereby known as The ‘Double D') being worth close to $5 million a year each, it's good to see these clubs willing to invest in talent on the field.

Hopefully we look back on these signings just like we did with David Beckham coming here. The quality is improving, and that is forcing people to notice.