Rumors are growing across the world that Colombian star James may cut his loan at Bayern Munich short and move to Major League Soccer. While they remain unsubstantiated, the noise gives an opportunity to look at the merits of such a move. 

 

PROS:

James’ arrival in North America would rival that of David Beckham’s. Widely considered one of the great young talents in the world, he would immediately become the most high-profile signing in the 22 year history of the league.

 

With players like Kaka and Andrea Pirlo retiring prior to the star of next season, the league will have considerable funds to bring the Real Madrid player. It’s possible that he would be able to slot into Kaka’s role at Orlando City SC. His South American roots will play well in the large Spanish-speaking population down south.

 

If we were to leave Munich this winter, he could theoretically join New York City FC and play alongside David Villa. The Spaniard has resurrected his career in the Big Apple, and made his triumphant return to the national team this past month.

 

CONS:

He would endure relentless questions about his will and desire to be a top player in the world. Despite MLS’s increased competitiveness, it still maintains the outdated insult of being a “retirement league.” 

 

As evidence by Sebastian Giovinco’s exclusion from the Italian national team, he may jeopardize his spot on the Colombian national team. As with the aforementioned reputation of MLS, national team managers want their players to be playing at the highest level on a week-to-week basis. No matter how you slice it, MLS is an unimaginable step down from La Liga and Bundesliga.