The Scottish invasion of MLS

By: Ian Rose | May 4th, 2008

Now a month into the thirteenth season of MLS, a few things are becoming clear. The Galaxy, for example, may not be particularly good, but they’re certainly better than they were last season. Toronto has also strengthened, and the debacle at Houston (defending champions / only team without a league win) continues to surprise and confuse us. One of the biggest stories, though, might end up being the influx of players from the birthplace of modern football, Scotland.

There are only four active players on MLS rosters born in Scotland, but all four are new to the league this season. Maybe that’s not an “invasion” per se, but if the three scorers continue to perform, and the new lad plays up to his talent, they could all play significant parts in playoff runs. Here’s a look at the four MLS Scots, and how they’ve done so far.

Tam McManus (Colorado Rapids)
The former Hibernian striker caught the eye of Colorado scouts while they were in England, and started with the team in the end of March. He has two goals, one of which came against Chicago, one of only three the Fire have conceded in six matches. He has had moments of brilliance everywhere he has played, but so far has lacked consistency. If he finds that in Colorado, he could be a very dangerous striker indeed.

Adam Moffat (Columbus Crew)
Even though he got his start at Ross County (the biggest rival of my favorite club), I can’t help but like Adam Moffat. After bouncing around to a few lower division Scottish sides, he came to the US to play on Columbus’ USL-2 team, the City Stars, where he was one of the better midfielders in the league last year, earning a call up to the Crew for the 2008 season. So far, he has proven to be quite able to make that change, scoring twice in six matches, including the first overall goal of the MLS season, and the opening goal in yesterday’s win over Kansas City. At 21, he has huge potential and plenty of room to develop.

Kevin Souter (Kansas City)
The newest of the Scottish imports, Souter has only just signed to the Wizards. A two-time All-American at Graceland University (which is in Iowa, apparently), he got a trial with the Wizards and has made the cut, thus adding himself to the list. It’s a bit early to tell what we can expect from Souter, and he’ll probably have to work his way through the reserves, but he certainly has the talent.

Kenny Douchar (Real Salt Lake)
Last but certainly not least, we have the Good Doctor himself. The best of the castoffs from this year’s Gretna implosion, Douchar is not only a seasoned professional footballer, but also a practicing doctor. How’s that for a two-fer? He came in to an RSL setup desperate for a finisher, and he has provided just that. Kyle Beckerman has gotten a lot of the attention, but Deuchar has scored two goals in six matches, settling in faster than expected after arriving pretty much exactly as the season started. A headed goal specialist, he will be the target man for many a corner this season.

Honorary Mention: Bryan Little (Portland Timbers)
Okay, so technically, this is the USL, not the MLS, but how could I do a post on Scots in America and not mention the hometown side of both myself and The Offside HQ? Little came over at the start of this USL season from Auckland City FC in New Zealand, so traveling is hardly an issue for the lad. Little played in the Club World Cup with Auckland in 2006, after helping them to an Oceanic title. He will struggle to get a huge amount of time on a very crowded Timbers midfield, but the Timbers Army, peppered with Scots as they are, will be urging him on when he does take the pitch.