The development of Major League Soccer has been due, in no small part, to the successful integration and contributions of designated players who have come to America to be part of a new project or to sample life in a different environment.

Ever since Shaun Bartlett’s move to the USA after his impressive showing with South Africa at the 1996 Cup of Nations, African players have been key figures in this migration. Nigerian stars Michael Emenalo and Ben Iroha were other early pioneers, while more recently former-Premier League stars Kei Kamara, Olivier Tebily and Ade Akinbiyi have also spent time across the Atlantic.

This article profiles 12 Africans who may well be a perfect fit to bring status and celebrity to a league keen to increase its own profile worldwide. Many of these players would appeal to diasporic African communities within the States, while none are too “past it” that they would struggle to keep up with the intensity and the rigours of Major League Soccer.

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