By: Joni Lamani

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s arrival to the Major League Soccer (MLS) might be the boost that soccer in the United States has needed for years. Today, the MLS has been known as a “retirement league” where older and regressing players go to make millions of dollars. However, Ibrahimovic’s arrival may be a sign that the quality and competitiveness of the MLS is changing. Although Zlatan is considered near retirement age in soccer, he still appears to be improving his game, as he recently claimed in a press conference that he feels like “Benjamin Button.”

When Zlatan arrived at Manchester United, United was heavily criticized for taking an expensive salary for a 35 year old player, who probably has two or three years left to play.

Even so, he came into one of the most competitive leagues and ended up being one of the top goal-scorers, scoring 29 goals, which contributed to Manchester United’s victory in the Europa League. He was nothing short of a Lion that year.

Unfortunately, his season came to an end due to a Cruciate Ligament injury. In the 2017-2018 season, he was involved in only 7 games for United, with other injuries slowing him down after his recovery. Many analysts were sure that his career had come to an end after this string of injuries. However, Zlatan would come back to the player most fans know him for. Manchester United and Zlatan Ibrahimovic agreed to terminate his contract, which sent him over to the MLS. Zlatan ended up joining LA Galaxy, a popular team many anticipated he would join.

Surprisingly, he was named in the teams first derby against LAFC, a new team to the MLS. LAFC took a 3-0 lead, with a super strike by Carlos Vela to open the scoring. The Galaxy were clearly in desperate need of a savior, and Zlatan came into action for the in the 71st minute, ready to prove that he could still be impactful, even at his age.

Zlatan was quickly able to leave his mark and prove his doubters wrong, as he scored an absurd goal from 40 yards out in the 77th minute to tie the game at three. But the comeback wouldn’t be stalled there. He scored the 4th goal in the late rally to seal the win in the first LA Derby during the 91st minute off of a crosser swung in by Ashley Cole, a former Barclays Premier League veteran.

This thrilling match showed the potential that the MLS has in years to come. In a game filled with big names like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ashley Cole, Carlos Vela, all former superstars in the world of European soccer, the MLS proved that it isn’t just a retirement league, but one that continues to get more competitive as veterans filter in. The future looks bright for the MLS, as this recent influx of older players has shown that they value the competition in the league more than the money being awarded to them.