Landon Donovan has suggested that former Premier League stars such as Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard have been guilty of misjudging the pace and intensity of MLS when they move to the US.
Gerrard signed for Los Angeles Galaxy on an 18-month deal from July after leaving Liverpool, while Frank Lampard finally made his debut for New York City this summer after a loan spell at Manchester City in the final months of last season.
However, neither player was able to inspire their franchise to the MLS playoffs, but former LA Galaxy MVP Donovan is backing them to have a bigger impact next season after they get used to the fact that MLS is not as easy a ride as often suggested.
"[Gerrard and Lampard] have been perceived well but it is not easy," he told The Guardian. "Sometimes people have this impression that you can go there and it will be easy – people from the outside.
"The players will tell you – and I think Steven has spoken about it openly – that it is quite difficult. Not because there is more quality from Liverpool but it is difficult to travel and the pace of the game is fast.
"The Premier League is probably the fastest in the world but the pace [in the US] is faster than you realise. There are a lot of different issues so I think that both of them will come back next year and be more prepared and make a much bigger impact."
Former US international Donovan is both the all-time leading scorer and all-time assists leader in MLS history after playing for 14 seasons in the league with the San Jose Earthquakes and Galaxy.
Tom Nightingale
