Led by Miguel Almirón, Paraguay shows MLS can develop players for the rest of the world, too
Almirón and his countryman Diego Gómez have made big-money moves from MLS to England's Premier League over the years. They're both in town this week to play for Paraguay against the U.S. in Chester.
Contrary to the popular wisdom lately, there have been stars in Major League Soccer other than Lionel Messi. In fact, the league can even make some of its own when it wants to.
One of the best examples of that will be at Subaru Park on Saturday, playing for Paraguay against the U.S. men’s soccer team (5 p.m., TNT, Telemundo 62). Miguel Almirón wasn’t too well-known when he joined Atlanta United in 2017, but it didn’t take long for him to become instantly recognizable.
Two years later, Almirón earned a big-money move to England’s Newcastle United. He spent six seasons in the Premier League, then returned to Atlanta in January to try to help the Five Stripes return to the MLS Cup final.
That didn’t happen this year, leading to manager Ronny Deila’s dismissal and another big-name return in Gerardo “Tata” Martino. But something else big did happen for Almirón: he helped Paraguay qualify for its first men’s World Cup since 2010.
“It’s been a year full of ups and downs,” the 31-year-old attacking midfielder told The Inquirer. “Thank God that the Paraguayan national team achieved what we all wanted to achieve. It was great for me, and I’m happy with the work that me and my teammates put in.”
Almirón is one of two players currently in MLS who are part of the Paraguay squad, along with Real Salt Lake midfielder Braian Ojeda. A third, Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Andrés Cubas, was named to the roster but hasn’t been able to travel to the U.S. yet because of visa issues.
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Some fans will also know the name Diego Gómez. The 22-year-old midfielder played with Messi in Miami (and with Martino as manager) from 2023-24.
Though he flew under Messi’s huge shadow, Gómez showed plenty of talent — so much that he was able to follow Almiron’s path to the Premier League. Brighton and Hove Albion, perhaps England’s best club at developing top young talent in recent years, bought him for $15 million.
That big transfer fee finally earned some headlines, and some admissions that he’d been too overlooked by the marketing department. But Almirón was not surprised by Gómez’s feats.
“I think there is no debate about Gómez’s ability – he’s an exceptional player,“ Almirón said. ”He’s also a great person and professional. I always use him as an example for all the young players who end up leaving [home] because of how he works, how he lives his life."
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Almirón is also not surprised that Gómez was able to use MLS as a launchpad to a big European stage.
It’s not just there for domestic players like Union alumni Brenden Aaronson and Mark McKenzie, or another famous example in Vancouver Whitecaps product Alphonso Davies. Almirón did it from Atlanta, Julián Carranza did it from the Union last year, and Gómez did it from Miami.
“Since I arrived in MLS in 2017, I’ve known that it is a very competitive league that has been improving every year,” Almirón said. “And now that I’m back, I can see that it’s better, which is great. Young players are coming to play alongside experienced players, and I think that makes the league even more attractive. It’s also a springboard for making the move to Europe.”
Paraguay manager Gustavo Alfaro coached Costa Rica and Ecuador before taking over the Albirroja last summer. He had much to say about the league’s impact on developing players who have succeeded for his teams.
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“The differences you have in the last four years or so is very important,” he said. “Today I see it at a level of evolution very similar to the best leagues. ... For us as coaches, MLS has become a market that is attractive for its competitiveness, for the level of training, and for the level of performance by the players.”
Alfaro particularly noted how Almirón has fared since returning to Atlanta.
“We saw that in the first part of the World Cup qualifying cycle when he was in the Premier League, and the last part when he was in MLS, his level of performance was always the same,” he said.
That Almirón plays his club soccer in the U.S. makes it notable to play for his country here too. It would be even more special if Paraguay gets drawn to play a World Cup game in his adopted home city next year, or can make the city its pre-tournament training base.
“I’ve spoken about this with my family and friends,” he said. “I can’t wait to hear the Paraguayan national anthem at the Mercedes-Benz [Stadium]. I think that it’s going to be great, and also important for me, Atlanta and Paraguayan football. So I hope that, God willing, this happens.”
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And once that’s over, he hopes to restore Atlanta United to the top of MLS.
“It wasn’t the year we were hoping for or what the club expects, but we’ll keep working hard,” he said. “God willing, next season will be better.”