Taylor Twellman: MLS, League of the No. 10

The newest episode of Offside with Taylor Twellman discusses how the importance of the No. 10 position has shifted on the global stage, and how that created the way for MLS to become a league where classic No. 10s survive and thrive. 

The reason for this discussion, according to Twellman, was a statement Apple TV analyst Sacha Klejstan made. 

“Listen, if you’re starting No. 10, whether you’re paying him $8 million or $800,000, and he’s getting you five goals and five assists, that’s not good enough in MLS,” said Kljestan. “This is the league of the number 10.”

Twellman spoke to other bests at the position: Nashville SC’ Hany Mukhtar, Colorado Rapids’ Djordje Mihailovic and Portland Timbers’ Evander. 

According to Mukhtar, MLS’ increased focus on the position is one of the reasons he went stateside. 

“I think like two, three years into my career, being a professional soccer player, a lot of teams started to not play with the No. 10,” Mukhtar told Twellman.

“… That was also a big reason why I ended up here in MLS, because to this day you still have a lot of No. 10s.”

Will the trend continue? Or will MLS ultimately follow the footsteps of leagues around the world that have avoided building around classic 10s in favor of a different tactical set-up?

Twellman asks that question to Kljestan, Jeff Rueter of The Athletic and MLS legend Marco Etcheverry, leading to differing perspectives on the matter.

“We should always have the star No. 10s. These are the guys that should fill seats in the stadium,” Kljestan said. “They should be the guys that you tune in to watch every week. And then these should be the guys that are leading the All-Star game, leading the MVP race every season. It’s the most important position. Of course, putting the ball in the back of the net gets all the glory, but the game runs through the No. 10 and I love it.”