MLS: Alphonso Davies proves Christian Pulisic is not an anomaly
Alphonso Davies is shining as the starting left-back for Bayern Munich. He proves that Christian Pulisic is an anomaly within young MLS talent.
Alphonso Davies produced yet another sensational performance this weekend, scoring and assisting in Bayern Munich’s 5-2 thumping of Eintracht Frankfurt. The 19-year-old has well and truly established himself as the starting left-back at the Allianz Arena and he is beginning to perform at a level that makes him one of the best at his position in the world.
On this occasion, Davies was his effervescent self. Speedy in defence and near-impossible to beat, he was solid in his defensive work while consistently offering a threat in the final third.
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His goal was the quintessential Davies moment: a burst from deep, skipping by defenders as he nipped the ball away from them, convincing them they could win it before accelerating into another gear, relentless pursuit of the ball, winning it twice, before then calmly placing the ball into the bottom corner with a first-time finish with his right foot.
Davies has increasingly received praise and recognition for his performances this season, with many touting him as the heir apparent to Andy Robertson as the best left-back in world football. And the debate with a North American perspective immediately turns to whether he is the best player in the CONCACAF region, which he might be.
In fact, that is what Alexi Lalas said this weekend State of the Union Podcast via mlssoccer.com:
"“I’m sure there’s a lot of people out there that may disagree and have other players in CONCACAF. But I’m hard-pressed to find one right now that is a legitimate competitor other than possibly Christian Pulisic.”"
Davies is one of the major success stories of Major League Soccer development. Coming through the ranks in Vancouver, he was sold for a massive sell-on fee as his talent shone through at the MLS level. Bayern came calling and Davies has since made his mark at one of the biggest clubs in the world, a team that is routinely competing for Bundesliga and European success.
Davies, though, is not the first young North American who developed his talent in the MLS youth ranks and is now performing at a very high level in a top-five European league. Prior to his emergence this season, Christian Pulisic was one of the highest-performing CONCACAF players at the domestic level. He played regularly for a top-two Bundesliga team before then moving to a top-six Premier League team for north of $70 million.
Pulisic, though, was always the exception. Even Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and other North American exports to Europe never reached the level that he is playing at. Until Davies came along. The Canadian international proves that Pulisic is not an anomaly. He proves that MLS can indeed produce high-level players who can compete on the European stage.
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As Don Garber has stated in the past, MLS needs to become a selling league, a developing league, a league that offers chances to young players as a launching pad to the rest of their careers. Pulisic and Davies are the ideal examples of this. Which others will now follow in their footsteps?