Star-Studded MLS Is an International Player

Though Gallardo was out of contract and free to join United, the club paid a steep price in the form of $1 million-plus salary, the largest in club history.

United began pursuing Gallardo after failing to reach contract terms with Argentina's Christian Gomez, the 2006 league MVP. Having cultivated relationships with player agencies in Latin America, United was in position to initiate talks with Gallardo and negotiate a deal within a month.

"We are hearing from players who want to come here, and at the same time, teams are showing interest in our players," said United General Manager Dave Kasper, who has made numerous trips abroad since joining the club in 2002. "It's a sign the league is heading in the right direction and that we have arrived in the global market."

As MLS continues to expand the number of teams (a 14th this season and two more the next two years) and emphasize improvement in the quality of play, it will have to rely on the international player pool because "we are not going to develop overnight new domestic players," Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis said.

An increasing number of MLS teams have launched youth development programs but, Gazidis warned, "It's going to take some time for our first homegrown players to start filtering onto MLS rosters."

To accommodate more seasoned international players, the league recently eliminated the distinction between youth and senior foreigners and increased the overall limit per team from seven to eight. (The previous rule was three youth and four seniors.)

MLS's designated player rule, which allows teams to acquire a player outside the regular salary cap restrictions, is in its second year and has been exercised primarily to sign foreign stars, such as Beckham, Gallardo and L¿pez. For the most part, though, tight budgets have forced teams to pursue secondary players from big countries, such as Peralta, or emerging stars from small countries, such as Honduras's Mauricio Castro (New England).

While the league pursues foreign talent, Gazidis said MLS must also welcome the prospect of losing players overseas "because if that was not happening, it would be an indictment of the standard of play in Major League Soccer."

Though its season starts this weekend, MLS teams are likely to make additional moves this summer when the international buying and selling season heats up again.

"People are realizing our league is getting better -- they're looking at our players and we are signing more of theirs," Onalfo said. "The positive energy is out there."